The Girl In The Mirror
by She'sADreamer95
Summary: At the end of their Junior year, Nathan and Peyton were paired together for a project about missing children. It was his idea to go on that website, he told her it would help them with their research. He had no idea what he would really find. He'd seen that photo a million times before, he'd know it anywhere. It wasn't possible, there was no way that it could be... Brooke?
1. Chapter 1

She shut her eyes as yet another strike of lightening lit the entire sky. She'd never been a fan of thunder storms, clamping her hands over her ears as the sound grew louder. It was horrible weather to be driving in.

"I want mommy."

 _Hi, sweetheart! Do you remember me? Your mom asked me to pick you up and take you to my house for a little while. She's not feeling very well today._

Although the road was called Route 222, her mother had been the one christen it the 'Highway to H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks.' It was a road that had seen many accidents, and no survivors.

 _I should say bye to mommy first._

"I want mommy." She repeated, leaning forward to get a better look at the strange woman driving the car. "Please... Take me back... I'm scared!"

"Honey." The red head muttered. "What is going on with you today? I'm right here, Brooke. Maybe you just need some sleep. I promise, the first motel sign I see, I'll pull in, and get us a room."

 _Mommy already knows that you're leaving, honey. Why don't you come with me? It'll be like an adventure._

"My name's not Brooke." The little girl protested. "Please! I just want to go home! My mommy is gonna be worried about me! We're supposed to go to the beach tomorrow!"

She let out a long, frustrated sigh, glancing back at the girl. "Brooke, I don't know what game you're trying to play, but it's getting on mommy's nerves. I am right here, honey, and I never promised that I would take you to the beach. It's too cold."

 _I like adventures._

"My name isn't Brooke!"

"Brooke!" The woman snapped. "Please, just shut up! I know you're tired, and I know this storm is scaring you, but you need to listen to me. I am your mother, and I want you to stop it with this nonsense. Right now."

Her name wasn't _Brooke_... Why did that strange woman insist on calling her that?

"I want my mommy!" She cried. "I want my mommy, and I want to go home! Now!"

"Brooke." She whipped her head around. "Just-"

 _Look out!_

* * *

She screamed, her comforter bunched up in her fists. Slowly, she opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She was in her bedroom, drenched in a cold sweat, and her phone was buzzing.

"Hello?"

Her hands were shaking as she answered. She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself before the person on the other end of the line could sense that something was wrong.

"B. Davis?" Came Peyton's concerned reply. "Hey... Are you okay? I've been calling you for the last ten minutes. Did you sleep in again?"

"Umm..." Brooke drew out, glancing at her alarm clock. "I have no idea... I'm supposed to give you a ride to school this morning, aren't I?"

She laughed. "It's either getting a ride from you, or walking. Luke is still trying to fix my car."

"Your ass is skinny enough." The brunet rolled her eyes, throwing her covers back so she could get out of bed. "Just give me ten minutes. I'll see you soon."

Brooke hung up and grabbed her brush, dropping down onto the stool beside her vanity. She loved having the type of hair that looked good first thing in the morning, even after waking up from a nightmare.

That stupid nightmare.

She had been having that very same dream for as long as she could remember.

A stormy night, a woman she didn't know, repeating her first name over and over again, and that terrified little girl. It was so reoccurring that she still couldn't decide if it was a random part of a memory, or something she had just made up to get attention from her parents.

Victoria was the one to tell her to stop making up stories. Maybe she was right.

Brooke pulled out a blue, laced cami, and a pair of jeans. She slipped her arms into her tan leather jacket, her favorite, and stuffed her feet into a pair of boots before sliding her bag across her shoulder.

She hated that dream. The only thing she wanted to do was forget. It was so annoying, not being able to figure out what her subconscious was trying to tell her.

Brooke picked up her phone to text Peyton.

 **On my way, Blondie. X0X0**

* * *

"I miss the days that you, me, and Tutor Girl rode to school together." Brooke muttered as she pulled into her front row parking space. "Now our little Haley is married, and living in Lucas's basement."

Peyton laughed, grabbing her bag from the back seat. "Only until Nathan and Haley can find an affordable apartment. Karen understands that they're married, but she still has some pretty strict ground rules."

She raised an eye brow. "Like what?"

The two girls linked arms as they made their way towards the school. Students began to wave, nod, and shout greetings to the two popular cheerleaders. Brooke smiled as she passed them.

"Nathan sleeps on the couch." Peyton told her. "Haley has the bed in his old room in the basement, and Lucas is still upstairs, but Karen does nightly checks on all of them."

Brooke laughed. Karen Roe was a mother figure to all of them. To protect him from Dan at Deb's request, she'd taken Nathan in at the age of twelve, and raised him as her own. She had supported his decision to marry Haley, she was allowing both of them to live under her room until they found a place of their own.

"Poor guy." Brooke muttered, shaking her head. "All rules, and no sex makes Nathan a dull Scott boy."

She tightened her grip on Peyton as a brown haired boy collided into them.

"God!" He blurted out. "I am so sorry... Are you alright?"

She glanced at her best friend before nodding slowly. It was obvious that he was new, and lost, she'd never seen him before.

"I'm fine." Brooke promised him, bending down to retrieve her books. "Are you? Looks like you were in a hurry there."

"Sorry..." He said again. "I'm new, and I'm late, and... I'm Julian."

"I'm Brooke." She replied. "And this is Peyton. Welcome to Tree Hill."

Peyton held her hand out to help him up. He smiled gratefully, reaching up to take it.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Suddenly, the blonde girl was gone. In her place was a guy with tan skin, black hair, and hard eyes. At 6'1, he towered over Julian, his expression unreadable.

"You alright?" He asked, his gaze moving to the brunet.

"I'm fine, Felix." She said. "Leave him alone, babe. He's fine, I'm fine, Peyton's fine."

Peyton rested a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Brooke, I'm gonna go, alright? I'll see you in class."

"Peyton." Brooke protested. "Hey, just want-"

"I'll see you later, Davis." She promised, practically running into the school.

Brooke blinked, unsure of what to think. Peyton hadn't been acting like herself lately, and it had something to do with Felix. She was always so jumpy around him... Maybe she felt like a third wheel.

Peyton was her best friend, she would always come first.

"Felix." She sighed, tugging on his arm. "Come on, bad ass, you don't need to start another fight. Can we go, please?"

Felix nodded slowly, still staring the new boy down. "You're lucky."

He dragged her along behind him, his grip on her hand tight. Julian watched them leave, the beautiful brown haired girl slowly turned her head to glance back at him.

 _I'm sorry_. She mouthed.

Brooke's relationship with Felix was complicated, and that was only one word to describe it. It had started off as a friends-with-benefits kind of relationship, but slowly, she had started to fall for him. When it was good, it was great, and when it was bad...

There was no one else.

"God." Felix muttered, still pulling on her. "Who was that guy?"

She shrugged. "Does it really matter, boyfriend? You shouldn't overreact so much, he didn't do anything wrong."

He raised an eye brow. "Brooke? Why are you defending this guy?"

"I don't know." Brooke admitted. She had no idea. "I guess I just feel sorry for him. He's new, and he has no idea where he's going."

"Babe." Felix laughed, slipping his arm around her waist. "You gotta stop trying to take on all these charity cases. Face it, that dork will never be one of us, so don't even give him the time of day."

A disgusted look spread across her face as she shoved him away and started towards the school by herself.

"What?" He demanded, watching her go. "Brooke! What?"


	2. Chapter 2

"I saw that." He teased, grabbing her arm to pull her back. "Subtlety's not your strong suit."

The teammate he'd previously been talking to mumbled a goodbye and took off in the opposite direction.

Peyton managed a smile. "You saw that?"

"Yep." Lucas nodded, popping the _p_. He let his locker door slam shut, leading the way towards their first class. "Peyton..."

"It's nothing."

She'd responded too quickly for his liking. He raised an eye brow, waiting for her to tell him the truth.

Brooke had met Felix more than two months before, and ever since then, his blonde friend was acting very strangely around the proclaimed bad boy. He tried to get a straight explanation out of her countless times before, she always gave him the same answer.

 _I'm fine, Luke._

"Peyton."

"I'm fine, Luke." Peyton snapped. "Can you please just drop it? If there was something wrong, I would tell you, alright?"

Lucas sighed, pulling on her arm to stop her again. "Promise?"

"I promise.' She replied weakly. "I'm sorry, Luke... I shouldn't have snapped at you, I just don't understand what she sees in him."

"You and me both, Blondie."

He groaned, throwing his arm around her shoulder as they made their way towards their first class. Nathan and Haley were already there. They had their desks pushed together, a newspaper spread across the two table tops.

"They're looking at apartments." Lucas explained, as they dropped down beside them. "I think they'd have a lot more luck if Haley wasn't so picky."

"I heard that." The newly married Haley James-Scott drew out. She turned to flick her best friend on the back of the head. "Shut up, Luke. You'd be picky too if you saw some of these places."

Nathan sighed. "More than half of these places are gonna cost more than most of what I make in two months."

"Welcome to married life." He slapped his little brother on the back. "When are you guys gonna go check some of these places out?"

"Tomorrow." Nathan replied, squeezing Haley's hand. "After school. Wanna come, Luke?"

Lucas's smile faltered. "I can't... I'm sorry, I have plans with Brooke."

"I'll go." Peyton offered. She didn't look up from her newest drawing. "I don't have plans tomorrow, and honestly, knowing you two, you're gonna need a second opinion when it comes to actually choosing your first apartment."

Haley stuck her tongue out at the blonde, and the Scott brothers chuckled. Whatever weird mood she'd been in was gone now, and she was back to her very sarcastic self.

"Hey, Hales, Nate, Luke." Brooke greeted, sliding into the seat beside Nathan. "P. Sawyer, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were avoiding me."

Lucas watched as Peyton forced a smile, rolling her eyes in response.

"I'd never avoid you, B. Davis." She promised, turning back to her drawing. "You have a good imagination."

He shot her a hard look, but she waved him off, just like she always did when she didn't want to talk about it.

Lucas knew whatever she was hiding had to do with Felix, he just needed to figure it out.

"Hey."

Nathan raised an eye brow, nudging Brooke with his elbow. She turned away from the two blondes to find none other than Julian Baker standing beside her desk.

"Hi." She replied.

He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, unsure of what to say. "I... Umm... I'm sorry that I pretty much ran you over this morning... It was an accident."

Brooke surprised him by laughing. 'Don't worry about it, no harm, no foul. My boyfriend thinks he's trying to protect me, or whatever, but he's just really annoying."

The bell rang, and Julian grinned back at her before going to take a seat in the back. As their teacher drowned on and on, she turned her head slightly to stare at the new boy. In some ways, he reminded her of her friend, Mouth. He didn't wear jeans, and a t-shirt with a button up like Nathan and Lucas did. His hair was done up in a spiked style.

He was actually kind of _cute_.


	3. Chapter 3

" _Tree Hill Manor?_ " She read aloud, a look of disgust crossed her face. "Really? Could these names get _any_ cheesier?"

Haley turned around in her seat to smack her. "Shut up! It's kitschy!"

"Sure." Peyton went to hit her back. "As kitschy as _Sunny Hill Lodge?_ C'mon, Hales. Do you _really_ wanna live in a place that sounds like the name of a golf course?"

Nathan shot her a mock-warning look as he finally found a parking space. She laughed and closed her sketch book, undoing her seat belt before climbing out of the car.

"You've had a complaint for every place we've visited today." He muttered, shaking his head. "One more word, and I'm duck taping your mouth shut."

Haley snorted, wrapping her hand around her husband's before slipping her arm through her friend's.

"Behave, you two."

Nathan and Peyton continued to bicker. She rolled her eyes and went on ahead of them to find the apartment complex manager. Their friendship was full of mock-arguments, fights that meant nothing thirty seconds later.

Nathan sighed, watching Haley go. "Can I ask you something?"

"Free country."

He'd been dying to ask her this for weeks, but he'd never found the right moment to actually say the words out loud. He knew Lucas was worried about her, but unlike his older brother, he wasn't about to bombard Peyton with the same question over and over again.

"What's going on between you and Felix?"

Peyton froze. She was beginning to hate that question, and while she wasn't really angry at Nathan for asking it, her annoyance at Lucas suddenly transferred to his younger brother.

"Nothing." She replied bitterly.

She didn't want to talk about it, why couldn't her friends see that? Why couldn't they just leave it alone?

"Peyton..."

"Nathan." Peyton begged. "Please, if you love me, you'll drop it. I promise, nothing is wrong. If it was, I'd tell you. Okay?"

* * *

"Thanks for hanging out with me today." She muttered, linking her arm through his. "I didn't want to be home... Alone... Again."

Lucas sighed. Brooke's parents were a very sore subject, her father played golf, and her mother spent the day shopping. Somewhere along the line, they'd completely forgotten that they even had a seventeen year old daughter who needed them.

"Anytime, Cheery." He replied with a grin. "You okay, Brooke? You look a little tired."

Brooke shrugged. "I had another nightmare last night... I didn't get a lot of sleep. It's not a big deal, Luke."

"You sure?"

That was one thing she loved about Lucas, he was easy to talk to. She dropped down onto the nearest bench, crossing her arms as she tried to recall every event from her nightmare.

"I've had this dream for as long as I can remember." Brooke muttered. "It's a stormy night, a woman I don't know keeps repeating my first name over and over again, and then there's this terrified little girl. I have no idea what this means, Luke, and it's really getting annoying."

Lucas paused to think. He knew more about dreams than most guys his age, thanks to his mother's obsessive need to understand what her subconscious was telling her.

Dreams in general provided valuable insights about your life, when you paid attention to your dreams, and took appropriate action on them, you integrated the lesson and your dreams moved on to what was next. Even if you didn't actively use your dreams, most dreams wouldn't reoccur. Sometimes, however, there was something so important that it needed your attention. If you didn't act on, and integrate the dream, your dream would continue to repeat.

"How long have you been having this dream?" Lucas asked, raising an eye brow.

Brooke shrugged. "Since I was five, maybe? I don't know. Why does that matter?"

He held his hands up in mock-surrender. "Just asking, Davis. Jeez!"

They both laughed. He stood up, holding out a hand to her as soon as she was steady on her feet, they continued walking down the road, talking about nothing.

"So." She drew out, glancing down at her phone. She still hadn't heard from Peyton. "I don't suppose you've heard from a certain blonde best friend of mine, have you?"

He'd followed Peyton home to give her a ride back to his house. They'd hung out until Haley's tutoring session ended, and she'd left with the newlyweds. She'd never even mentioned Brooke's name.

"I don't know why she's acting so weird." He admitted, shaking his head. "She won't tell me what's wrong. We've always told each other everything... I just worry about her."

Brooke smiled, the way she always did when she heard Lucas talk about Peyton. He raised an eye brow, waiting for an explanation.

"You're in love with her." The brunet teased, poking him. "Oh my god, you love Peyton! Lucas loves Peyton! Lucas loves Peyton! Lucas loves Peyton! Lucas loves-Mmph!"

Lucas's hand slapped over her mouth before she could say it again, his cheeks burned. It was true, though he never dared to say the words out loud. Peyton Sawyer was an amazing friend, and he never wanted to lose that.

"If you shut up, I'll move my hand." He muttered, glaring down at her. "Deal?"

Brooke nodded, her eyes still glowing. She'd always known that her favorite guy was in love with her favorite girl. She'd been right about Nathan and Haley, it was only a matter of time before she would be proven right with Lucas and Peyton.

Lucas slowly removed his hand from her mouth, only to bring his arm to wrap around her shoulders.

"Please." He said, his expression unreadable. "Don't tell anyone."

She let out a long, dramatic sigh before holding her pinkie out to him. They pinkie swore, so the promise would never be broken. He knew he could trust Brooke, but he was scared of how Peyton would react if word were to ever get out.

"Luke?"

"Hmm?"

"You could be really good for her." Brooke told him. "Peyton. She could really use someone reliable in her life, and I think you two would be perfect for each other... Oh! I could totally plan your wedding!"

Lucas rolled his eyes, giving her a gentle shove with enough force behind it to send her falling off the path. He tried to hold back his laughter as he held a hand out to help her up. Brooke yanked hard, sending him crashing to the ground beside her. Neither one of them could hold back their laughter. Brooke erupted into giggles, giving him another shove.

The world would be such a boring place without such amazing friends.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey." She greeted, dropping down into the chair beside her. "I've been two-waying you all day. Where have you been?"

Peyton glanced up from her sketch book, forcing a smile. "Nowhere really."

They sat there for a few moments in an awkward silence. It was Open Mic Night at Karen's Cafe, and Haley was currently doing six jobs at once, weaving her way in and around the growing crowd.

Brooke let out an annoyed sigh. "Would you please draw your freaky drawings later? We're young, we're gorgeous, we're here to have fun!"

"What about Felix?" She replied with a tight smile. "I'm sure he'd be up for some fun."

"Felix." The brunet repeated. "The monkey in the room."

"Elephant."

"Whatever."

Brooke loved Open Mic Night, she loved Karen, and Karen's Cafe, but she'd come to the event for the sole purpose of confronting her best friend. She felt like she hadn't seen Peyton in ages, and she wanted her to know that even with Felix in the picture, their friendship still came first.

"Look." She began. "I came to make sure there's no weirdness about that. You're my best friend, and I would never cut you out for a guy. okay? No matter who he is, or how happy he makes me."

Peyton's smile faltered. Brooke was truly the best friend a girl could ask for, which was why she couldn't tell her the truth. She hadn't seen her brown haired friend that happy in a very long time. Who was she to take that away?

"Brooke, I'm cool with you and Felix."

Brooke raised an eye brow, still hesitant. "You sure? Hoe's over Bro's?"

"Hoe's over Bro's."

The two girls fist bumped, Brooke's smile grew as she caught sight of her tall, dark, and handsome boyfriend nearing their table.

"Hey." Felix greeted awkwardly. "Mind if I join you?"

Peyton flipped her sketch book closed, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "Actually, I was just leaving, I'll see you two."

"I'll be right back." She muttered, shaking her head. "Peyton! What's going on? Are you mad at me?"

Peyton turned slowly to meet the brunet's gaze. Part of her felt annoyed that she'd been followed when she wanted to be alone, while the other half of her wanted to cry because she'd never be able to tell her best friend the truth.

"It's not you Brooke." She promised. "It's me. I thought I was cool with this but, I'm not... I'm sorry."

"With me and Felix?" Brooke asked, sounding concerned. "You do not have to feel like a third wheel. You're my best friend, okay? He gets that."

"It's not that, Brooke..."

"Then what is it?"

Peyton paused, rethinking her possibilities. She missed Brooke, but that wasn't the real problem. "I just... You're right, it's the whole third wheel thing... I guess I just missed you."

"Then will you please come inside and hang out?" The brunet smiled sadly and threw her arm around Peyton's shoulders. "I miss you too, okay? Come on."

She led the way back inside, never once loosening her grip on her best friend. Everything could go back to normal now, and Felix and Peyton would finally be able to get along.

It would be perfect. Everything would go back to being perfect.

* * *

"Hey Curly." Haley greeted, dropping down beside her. "Pretty great night, huh? I can't believe the turnout! Thanks again for all your help, Peyton."

Peyton smiled at her red haired friend. Haley had worked hard on getting the word out, she'd simply provided the artwork for the event.

"So..." She drew out. "I saw you hanging out with Brooke and Felix tonight. I guess there's a first time for everything. Is all that awkward-third wheel stuff over now?"

The blonde shrugged, suddenly fighting back the urge to tell Haley _everything_. It was her secret, no one else could know.

"Peyton?"

She'd met Haley at the age of six, when some ass hated little kid shoved her out by the swing set during recces. It had been Haley who stormed over to knee the boy in the stomach. She'd dragged Haley over to where she'd been sitting with Nathan, Lucas and Brooke. They had been friends ever since.

"What's up?" Haley asked, her eyes full of concern. "Peyton? You know you can talk to me."

"I need some advice." Peyton admitted, bowing her head. "I don't know who else to go to."

She grabbed her hand. "What's going on, girlie?"

Peyton Sawyer was not an open book. She kept a lot of stuff buried deep down inside of her, as unhealthy as she was. If she actually wanted to talk about something, it must have been big.

"It's just friend of a friend stuff."

"Okay..." She drew out, raising an eye brow. "That... That's a good start, I guess. Peyton, please. Talk to me, Curly. I want to help you."

She knew she could trust Haley, she was just terrified of what the her reaction would be.

"Do you remember when someone wrote _Dyke_ on my locker a couple of months ago?"

Haley nodded slowly. Of _course_ she remembered, they all did. The who ordeal had gotten Peyton suspended for a week. Nathan and Lucas were still after blood.

"Okay..."

"It was Felix." Peyton mumbled, her gaze returning to the floor. "Anna told me like three days after it happened. He was mad at Brooke for dumping him. We argued earlier that night at the dance."

"What?"

Haley slammed her hand down onto the table, causing several customers still in the cafe to look up in alarm. She ignored them, reaching out to squeeze Peyton's hand again.

"Peyton." She snapped, her anger growing. "Why didn't you... Brooke should... I... I'm gonna kill him."

The blonde laughed bitterly. "And I love you for that, Hales, I really do. But please, promise me that you won't tell Brooke. I haven't seen her this happy in so long, and I don't want to mess that up for her."

"Peyton..." Haley drew out. "You need to-"

"Promise me, Haley."

"Alright!" She replied unhappily. She pulled her friend into a tight hug. "Alright, Peyton. I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

_My name isn't Brooke!_

"My name isn't..." She shouted out, whipping her head up. "I don't... What happened?"

She was no longer in the strange woman's car, scared out of her mind, she was back in her Trig class, earning sympathetic looks from her teacher and students alike.

"Miss. Davis?"

"I..." Brooke stuttered, hot tears spilled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I don't..."

"Brooke." The teacher whispered, discreetly handing her the hall pass. "You may be excused."

As quickly as she could, she packed up her belongings and ran out the door. She needed to get out of there.

"Whoa!" A hand wrapped around her arm, yanking her out of the way before she could collide with another student.

No longer able to hold back her tears, Brooke dropped her books and slumped to the floor. The dream had never caused her so much pain before.

"Are you okay, Brooke?"

She had the worst luck when it came to cute guys. First, they'd almost knocked each other over on his first day at Tree Hill, and now, he was about to see her fall apart when he didn't even know her.

"You know my name." She managed to say. "Thanks for stopping me from almost falling on my ass... I'm fine, Julian, you don't have to stay."

Julian dropped down beside her, hesitantly reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "I don't mind... Are you okay?"

Brooke shook her head slowly. "Not really, I just made an ass out of myself in Altman's class."

"What happened?"

"I fell asleep in class." She admitted. "And I had this stupid... Nightmare, day dream, whatever you want to call it, and then I freaked out and ran out of the room... I'm sorry..."

He raised an eye brow, his eyes full of confusion. "Why are you apologizing? You have nothing to be sorry for, Brooke."

Brooke shrugged, it was her automatic response after showing weakness. Felix hated it when she cried.

"Brooke?"

She winced, and his jaw clenched. For whatever reason, he suddenly felt very protective of the girl sitting beside him.

"You look like hell." He muttered, holding his hand out to her. "C'mere."

Julian relaxed, watching as she was pulled into a tight hug. This guy was a friend, not a foe like Felix. Nathan shot Julian a wary look, unsure if the new boy was to blame.

"Nathan." Brooke said, pulling back slightly. "This is Julian, he just moved here. We kind of... Ran into each other the other day."

"Hey."

"Hey."

"I kind of had a panic attack, and ran out of class." She continued, guessing his thoughts. "Julian was just trying to make me feel better."

A smile suddenly appeared on the basketball player's face, and he stuck his free hand out.

"Nathan Scott." Nathan greeted. "Welcome to Tree Hill."

"Julian Baker." He replied warily. "Thanks... I'm not sure what to think of it here yet, but I'm hoping that it's better than my old school."

"Tree Hill's pretty cool." Brooke told him. "Especially if you have the right friends... What are you doing out of class, Nate?"

Nathan shrugged. "I might have cut out a few minutes early... I'm glad I did. I wasn't kidding, Davis, you really look like hell. Do you wanna go talk about it?"

She nodded slowly, managing to give Julian a grateful smile. She might have fallen to pieces had he not been there.

"Thanks." Nathan muttered, holding his hand out to Julian. "For taking care of our girl."

"Not a problem." Julian smiled at both of them. "I'll see you guys around?"

He watched as the new boy wandered off, before turning to give Brooke a sideways smile. She raised an eye brow, knowing him all too well.

"What?" Brooke demanded. "What, Nathan?"

"You like him." Nathan accused with a smile. He knew her, too. "Brooke Davis likes the new boy."

"As if!" She smacked him. "There's this guy, _Felix_? Also known as my _boyfriend_?"

"Sure." He replied, still smiling. "You just keep telling yourself that, Davis."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey."

Nathan dropped down beside her with a groan, thankful that it was the final class before lunch.

"Hey." Peyton replied, playfully bumping him with her shoulder. "Only two months left. Think you can handle it, Scott?"

He shot her a mock-warning look, sending her into hysterics. While some people found him to be very intimidating, she wasn't one of them. She knew Nathan Scott, the basketball player, Nathan Scott, the guy who couldn't dance, Nathan Scott, the protective husband and friend, and Nathan Scott, the boy next door.

"Hello, students." Their teacher greeted. "Are you all getting ready for summer?"

The class erupted in cheers. Of course they were ready for summer! Three months of sun filled days, late nights out with friends, total freedom.

"I wouldn't get too excited." He continued. "Because there's still the matter of your final project for my class. It's worth half your grade, people."

Cheers turned into groans. Nathan glanced at Peyton and rolled his eyes, he could only pray they'd get to work in pairs. It was the only thing that would make the project bearable.

"I've taken the liberty of paring you off."

This could have been very good, or very bad, a 50/50 shot. He caught Tim's eye, wincing as he received a wink. It would be just his luck to get paired with someone who'd leave him to do all of the work.

"Nathan and Peyton, your project will be about Missing Children."

Nathan let out a sigh of relief, holding his hand up for a high five. Peyton grinned at him, they'd always worked well together. They'd knock this final project out of the park.

Tim was currently pouting in the corner.

"Wanna come over tonight?" He asked. "Karen's working, Haley's hanging out with Mouth, and Luke's going to the River Court, so we'll have the house to ourselves."

"Sure." Peyton replied with a smile. "Hey, I need to stop off at my locker, so I'll meet you at the lunch table?"

"Sure thing." Nathan grinned back at her, reaching out to squeeze her shoulders. "I think the gang's eating outside today, so I'll just save you a seat. See you in a few."

Peyton watched as he slowly made his way around the corner, and suddenly, she was all alone.

"Hey, Blondie."

Or so she thought.

"Don't call me that." She muttered, her voice growing cold. "Only my friends are allowed to call me that."

Felix smirked, pushing himself off of the wall to fall into step beside her. "Aww, c'mon, Peyton. I thought we _were_ friends."

 _You don't approve of me with Brooke, do you?_

' _Friends with Benefits' is crap, and you know it._

"I have enough friends." Peyton replied bitterly. "And anyway, after what you did... What makes you think I would ever want to be friends with someone like you?"

"What _I_ did?" He asked, feigning hurt. "Peyton, I have no idea what you're talking about! The only thing I _did_ was try and befriend my girlfriend's best friend, but I can't really do that when she's being a total bitch, now can I?"

 _Wow. Hard to believe you don't have a date._

 _I'm here with Brooke._

 _Yeah, but at the end of the night, I'll be with Brooke. Who will you be with?_

"You wrote the word _Dyke_ on my locker!"

Felix began to laugh at her outburst. The blonde was feisty, he had to give her that. "And who's gonna believe that, Peyton, huh? Brooke? As if."

She turned to leave, before she could say something that she'd really regret. She would never do that to Brooke, she'd be the bigger person.

"Peyton."

He caught her arm, spinning her back around. Her gaze stayed fixated on the ground, she was too angry to look him in the eye.

"Let's just bury the hatchet." Felix offered, releasing his grip on her. "Look, I'll try to be a nice guy, if you'll stop acting like such a bitch around me every time Brooke's around."

"Hey."

Peyton didn't have to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. She'd known it anywhere.

"What the hell did you just call her?"

His protective instincts began to take over. Gently, he moved her to stand behind him, never once taking his eyes off of Felix.

"What did you just call her?" Lucas said again. "Tell me I heard wrong, and you won't be taking a trip to see the nurse."

None of Brooke's friends were Felix Tagarro's number one fan. Lucas had had a short-lived relationship with his sister, Anna Tagarro, which just gave the wannabee bad boy another reason to hate him.

"Whatever, man." Felix muttered, shaking his head. "We were just goofing around. Right, Peyton?"

"Luke."

Peyton's hand rested on his arm in a weak attempt to pull him away. He ignored her, his gaze still fixated on Felix.

"Lucas." Peyton said. "Please. Everyone's waiting. Let's just go."

Letting out a long, frustrated sigh, he nodded. Felix was lucky he was dating Brooke, otherwise, he would have gotten his ass kicked a long time ago.

"Let's go." He agreed, covering her hand with his own. "C'mon, Peyton."

She allowed Lucas to pull her along behind him down the hallway. He looked angry as he threw the double doors open, leading her outside.

"You need to talk to Brooke."

Peyton took a deep breath, preparing herself, because she knew he wouldn't like her answer.

"No."

"No?" Lucas raised an eye brow. "Peyton! Your best friend's boyfriend just called you a bitch, and you don't want to tell her? That..."

"Luke." She replied. "I'm _fine_. I don't want to make a big deal out of nothing, alright? Can we please just leave it?"

"Peyton-"

"Lucas." Peyton said, squeezing his shoulder. "Please, just leave it be. I'm okay, I'm fine. In fact, Felix is sort of right. Maybe I'm just a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside a bitch."


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey."

He glanced up at her and smiled. "Hey, Brooke. What's going on?"

Brooke glanced back at her table. Mouth, Skills, Bevin, Nathan and Haley were already there, laughing about something. Lucas and Peyton had yet to join them, but the two blondes were almost always late to lunch

"Why are you sitting by yourself?" She asked, dropping down beside him. "Hate to break it to you, but at Tree Hill, all the loners sit together. It kind of defeats the purpose of being a loner, if you ask me, but whatever."

Julian laughed. From what he'd learned during his first day at Tree Hill High, Brooke Davis was single-handedly the most popular girl in the senior class. Why she was even giving him the time of day, he had yet to figure out.

"I haven't really made any friends yet." He admitted. "Not a lot of people care about the new kid."

It was true. Brooke, and her friend Nathan had been the only ones to be nice to him. The rest of Tree Hill's population had followed Felix's lead, shooting him dirty looks, knocking his books out of his arms when they passed him in the hallway.

"C'mon."

"What?"

"C'mon." She said again, tugging on his sleeve.

He stood up, warily following her towards her lunch table. All morning long, he'd overheard nothing but gossip, and praise about the elite group: Brooke's friends. They were the Kings and Queens of Tree Hill High, led by the Scott brothers, Nathan and Lucas.

And he was about to meet them.

"Julian." Brooke laughed. "Relax, my friends are really cool. They don't bite... Much!"

Lucas and Peyton had rejoined the group. They sat side by side, his arm thrown casually across her shoulders as he finished off a third slice of pizza.

"Hey, Brooke!" Mouth greeted, sliding over to make room for the two. "Who's your friend?"

"You've met Nathan." She said, gesturing to the raven haired basketball star. "And his wife, Mrs. Haley James-Scott."

"Wife?" Julian raised an eye brow. "Wait... You two got married? In _high school_?"

Nathan's grip on Haley's waist tightened. He was so used to people judging them, for their 'rash' decision. They were in love, it wasn't a crime.

"Dude." He continued, reaching out to shake Nathan's hand. "That's awesome!"

Haley felt her husband relax, and she smiled. Though they'd all been supportive of the marriage, her friends first reactions to the news had varied. Brooke burst into tears after discovering that she hadn't been chosen as Matron of Honor, Peyton had bombarded them with hugs, and Lucas punched a wall, before throwing the pair a beautiful reception.

 _I wanna throw a party for Nathan and Haley, okay? You know, everyone's been so weirded out about them getting married, and nobody's stepping up and just saying: 'Hey! It's cool! Let's celebrate!' We're their friends, we should do this for them._

"This is Lucas, Nathan's brother." She addressed the first blonde. "My best friend, Peyton. And that's Mouth, Skills Taylor, and Bevin. Guys, this is Julian, it's his first day."

"Hey."

"Hi." Julian waved at them awkwardly. "I'm... Ugh... I'm Julian."

Skills gave him the once over. "So, Haley James. You said there was something you wanted to tell us?"

"Oh!" Haley's eyes lit up. She pulled a flier out of her bag. "You guys are never gonna believe this! The school is sponsoring a trip to _Paris_ this summer!"

Brooke squealed, throwing her arms around Mouth's shoulders. "Are we going? We _totally_ all have to go! It'll be the sendoff of the school year! Goodbye Junior year, hello Senior year!"

"Yes!" Peyton laughed, elbowing Lucas. "We have to go! Can you imagine? A summer in Paris, the city of romance!"

Lucas smirked. "Okay, now I'm _definitely_ going. Nate? Hales?"

"Peyton." Nathan raised an eye brow. "Is there a particular reason you want Luke to go with you to the _city of love_?"

She kicked him underneath the table, making him groan while the others laughed. He was always doing things like that, just to get a reaction out of her.

"Leave her alone, Nate."

Brooke squealed again, grinning wildly at her group of friends. Julian chucked.

"We're going to Paris!" She cheered, clapping her hands. "We're going to Paris!"

* * *

"What do you mean I can't go?!"

Her jaw hung open as she tried to process her mother's words. She'd ran through the door after school, full of excitement about her future summer plans.

Victoria Davis had crushed her happiness in less than thirty seconds, a new record.

"I said you're not going." She replied, reaching for her purse. "And Brooke, do close your mouth, that's not very attractive."

Brooke thought her parents would have been thrilled at the idea of having her gone for three weeks, they were always sending her on errands just to get her out of the house. She wanted that trip.

How could her mother say no?

"Mom..."

"Brooke Penelope Davis!" Victoria snapped. "For the last time: I. Said. _No._ And don't you dare go and ask your father about this either, I know exactly what his answer will be. Now why don't you go do your homework, or something?"

Tears burning her eyes, Brooke turned and stormed out of the kitchen. Seconds later, she slammed her bedroom door shut and reached for her photo album.

Ted and Victoria Davis had missed every major milestone of their only daughter's life. Her fifth birthday, her first day of school, her first cheerleading competition...

Her _fifth_ birthday?

Brooke blinked, flipping through the pages again. Had she missed something? She had always figured that the nannies hired by her parents to look after her just hadn't had a camera with them to capture the moments of her first, second, third, and fourth birthdays, but why were there no baby pictures of her at all?

"Weird..." She muttered, glancing over at the framed photograph on her bedside table.

She was about four in that photo, wearing a polka doted dress, with her long hair pulled back into a high pony tail. She was smiling, standing in some random front yard with her hands on her hips.

She had never seen baby pictures of herself, she had never seen photographs when she was one, two, three. That wasn't normal, Nathan, Lucas, Haley and Peyton had framed photos of their earlier years all around their houses.

Come to think of it, she had never even seen her birth certificate.


	8. Chapter 8

"Well..." He asked, throwing the door open. "What do you think?"

Haley glanced around the room from over his shoulder. It was small, one bedroom, one bath, with a half kitchen, and a decent sized living room.

It was perfect.

"I love it!"

Nathan smirked, bending down to grab her legs so he could swing her up into his arms. She squealed.

"Nathan!"

"I didn't get to do this on our wedding night." He teased, carrying her through the threshold. "So why not in our new apartment?"

Haley wound her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his cheek. She couldn't believe it, they were actually about to have place of their own.

They would no longer had to sneak around in the middle of the night, more times than not being caught by Karen, and having to suffer the consequences: chores, chores, and more chores.

"And Peyton didn't even have a negative thing to say about this one."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "That's probably because she was too busy texting Lucas to really notice anything, Hales. Don't worry though, I'm sure she'll be talking crap after we'll all moved in."

He'd suggested heading over to check out the room listing after school that day without telling anyone else. Brooke had gone home to study while Peyton tagged along with Lucas to the river court.

His shin was definitely bruised from where the blonde had kicked him earlier.

"You kind of deserved it." Haley muttered, guessing his thoughts. "I mean, we all know that she's in love with Lucas, but you didn't have to point it out right in front of her."

Nathan raised an eye brow.

"Whose side are you on, Hales?" He demanded, playfully pretending to drop her. "Huh?"

He carried her through the apartment, into the bedroom before placing her feet on the floor, only to wrap his arms around her again and pull her closer.

"What do you think, babe?"

"It's perfect." She replied, sliding her arms around his waist. "When can we move in? I'd really like to stop crowding Karen and Lucas."

"The deal was that we could move in after the semester is over." He replied. "So only like eight more weeks, no big deal."

Karen had been one of their biggest supporters in the marriage, even allowing three teens to live under her roof until other arrangements could be made. It was cramped, four people living in a two bed, two bath house, but somehow they'd made it work.

"This place could use a makeover, though."

The paint color was old, and thinning out, reminding Haley of her nana's bathroom wallpaper. If there was one person who could fix it...

"Peyton." The newlyweds said together.

"Great." Nathan smiled, shaking his head. "Now we're really never going to hear the end of this."

Peyton was a growing artist. Although she didn't stray from her bright red bedroom very often, she'd been coming out of her shell more and more lately. She'd designed posters for events at Tric at the request of Karen and Haley. If anyone could turn a shabby old apartment into something unique, wonderful, and one of a kind, it was Peyton.

"Are you guys still hanging out tonight?" Haley asked. "Maybe you could ask her then."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't really qualify a _'your final grade depends on this'_ project as hanging out, but yeah, she's coming over later."

"Such fun."

A project about missing kids? Yeah, fantastic. The only upside was that he got to work with Peyton, they could suffer through it together.

"You know..." Haley began, intertwining their hands. "Lucas is hanging out with Brooke again tonight, and Karen's at the cafe until at least eleven..."

"Peyton's not coming over until eight." Nathan added with a smirk. "I've got an idea, Haley James."

"Don't you mean Haley James- _Scott_?"

He laughed and grabbed her again, lifting her feet off the ground as he took the steps two at a time to get back to the car.

 _Haley James-Scott._

He loved the way that sounded, the idea that the girl he'd been in love with since their childhood was now his wife. His Hales: Haley James-Scott. Mrs. Scott.

Their first night alone at the house in forever, he already had an idea. It was going to be perfect.


	9. Chapter 9

"I know you don't really think you can beat me, Sawyer."

She scoffed, going to make a shot. Lucas blocked her, winding his arms around her waist so she'd miss. She abandoned the ball, pushing heavily against his chest as she laughed. His grip on her only tightened.

"Give." He muttered. "There's no way you can beat me, so you may as well give up."

Peyton stuck her tongue out at him, making him chuckle. She rolled her eyes, leaning in to kiss his cheeks.

Lucas blushed, releasing her hold on her immediately to register what had just happened. The distraction was all she needed to grab the ball and thrust her arms upward, the ball sailed through the basket.

"Nothing but net!"

"You cheat!" He accused, reaching out to grab her again.

She squealed, taking off in the direction of the bridge, but the older Scott brother was too fast to escape. His arms wound around her, and suddenly she was being held upside down, the blood sure to rush to her head.

Lucas smirked, trying to ignore how right it had always felt to hold her in his arms. "Say you're sorry, and maybe I'll let you go!"

"I'm not sorry!" Peyton replied with a giggle. "That was awesome, Luke!"

He laughed, flipping her back over so her feet were steady on the ground. The second she went to move away, he grabbed her again.

They were close now, close enough to kiss. He wasn't sure who made the first move, if he'd moved closer, or if she had, but suddenly their lips were only inches apart.

Peyton blushed.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Lucas reached out hesitantly to brush his fingertips across her cheek. This was it, the moment he'd been dreaming about since the fourth grade, when their group of friends had become obsessed with the idea that if they were to receive their first kiss first, they would always hold the title of 'Most Popular.'

Brooke had won, and he was about to kiss Peyton Sawyer.

" _There_ you guys are! I've been two-waying both of you for the last hour!"

The pair pulled away abruptly, Peyton's cheeks still burning.

 _Damn it, Brooke._

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "B... Have you been crying?"

Brooke nodded slowly, tears forming in her eyes again. He sighed and pulled her into a tight hug, his annoyance towards her for ruining his moment with Peyton quickly vanishing.

She needed him.

"B. Davis." Peyton muttered, gripping her hand. "What happened?"

"My mother is officially the Wicked Bitch Of The West." She replied bitterly, crossing her arms.

Lucas and Peyton shared a look. This was just now occurring to her? It wasn't like Victoria Davis would ever win 'Mother of the Year award' any time soon.

"What did she do this time?"

"She told me I couldn't go to Paris this summer!" Brooke snapped. "She wouldn't even tell me why!"

Lucas pulled her into another hug. She'd been looking forward to the trip, a chance to get away from everything. It wouldn't be summer without Brooke Davis to spend it with.

"Well." Peyton said, nodding slowly at him. "If you're not going, then neither are we. I'm sure Nathan and Haley will stick around too, and we'll just spend a good, old fashioned, boring summer in Tree Hill."

She reached up to brush the tears away with the back of her hand. "Really?"

"Really."

With a smile, Brooke wrapped her arms around both of them, pulling them into a tight embrace. Sometimes, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have such amazing friends. Nathan, Lucas, Peyton, and Haley were the type of people you stayed close with, even into adulthood. She was so lucky to have them.

"I love you guys." She whispered, her grip tightening slightly. "I really love you guys."

Lucas smiled, rubbing her back. He loved her, he really did, he just wished that she had come to find them about five minutes later.

Because, then he would have still had the courage to kiss Peyton


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hi, you've reached the Scott's. Um, my wife and I are... Ugh..**_ _._

 _Your wife? What do you, like, own me now?_

 _ **Yeah, I do.**_

Nathan grinned as he listened to Haley laugh. He reached out to press erase, finding the message too personal to share with anyone else.

They were lying on his bed in Karen's basement, goofing around with the idea of an answering machine message for their apartment. His wife was having way too much fun with it.

His wife. He loved the way that sounded.

"Hi!" Haley greeted, pressing record again. "This is Nathan and Haley Scott. Please leave a message... Or... Not!"

Nathan frowned at her. "That's the worst thing I've ever heard."

She gasped, shutting the recorder off. With any luck, after a little make out session, she'd get her way. "Shut up! It rhymed, I like it!"

 _Message has been erased._

"Oops."

No such luck.

Haley let out a long sigh. "Oh... Fine! Let's just do one together, okay?"

He raised an eye brow. Haley never ceased to surprise him, but then again he'd never thought that at seventeen, he'd be married, and about to move into his first apartment.

"Wait a minute." Nathan drew out. "Isn't that something only really cheesy couples do?"

She leaned into him, her arm resting against his shoulder. They were home alone, Lucas was out, and Karen was working late, but instead of having sex, Nathan had suggested the goofy idea of recording their own answering machine message. So, they'd gone to the store, and bought a phone.

She loved him, she truly did.

"Yeah, well." Haley agreed. "We are a really cheesy couple, Mister."

"Good point."

She reached out to press the recording button again. They'd wing it, and hopefully, it would be amazing.

 _Hi, you've reached Haley-_ _ **And Nathan,**_ _ **I live here too.** Yes. Nathan lives here too because we're married! __**And we can't get to the phone right now because we're... Um...**_

"We're... Having sex?" Haley asked, looking at Nathan. "I mean, just, we're having really..."

Nathan smirked, suddenly lunging at her, his arms wrapping around her waist.

"Hot sex... Oh!" She laughed as he began to kiss her neck. She was so lost in the moment, she almost didn't realize... "Oh, we're still on. Uh... Leave a message!"

"And, uh, we'll get back to you when we're done!" He promised, pulling her on top of him.

Haley squealed as they fell off the bed, laughing.

"I love you, Nathan Scott."

Nathan grinned, pressing his lips to hers in response. He wanted it to last forever, that feeling of being seventeen, and falling in love for the first time.

It was beautiful, it was rare, it was real.

"I love you too." He whispered, kissing her forehead. "I love you so much, Haley James."

"Don't you mean Haley James-Scott?"

Haley James-Scott. She loved the sound of that. Haley Bob James-Scott, she never wanted to go back to just being Haley James.

"What do you say we..."

The door swung open, and Peyton walked in. She dropped her bag on the ground with a grin, still thankful that she'd been paired up with Nathan.

"Hey guys!" She called out. "The door was unlocked, and I... Haley!"

"Peyton!"

"Nathan!"

"Oh my god!" Peyton cried, running back up the stairs. Some things you could never un see. "My eyes! I'm blind!"

She covered her face with her hands as she leaned into Nathan, her cheeks burning. "Oh my god..."

"Doesn't anyone knock anymore?" Nathan called after her. He began to laugh. "Only in Tree Hill, Hales."

He went in to kiss her again, but she pushed him away, still blushing.

Only in Tree Hill.

* * *

"We should probably get to work..." He said, emerging upstairs fifteen minutes later. His laptop was cradled under his arm. "Umm... Peyton..."

Peyton held up a hand to cut him off. "Let's just never speak of this again."

Nathan laughed, flopping down beside her on the couch. He had been about to suggest going down to the basement to work, as it was larger, but he didn't think she'd agree after the whole 'walking-in-on-two-of-your-best-friends-having-sex' ordeal.

 _Welcome To The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children_

"It says here 2,300 Americans are reported missing everyday." He muttered, clicking on the first link to appear in his Google search. "I found a website about missing kids here. They have height, weight, age, favorite foods... Medical reports. Check it out."

"Last place they were seen." Peyton said, reading over his shoulder. "People they were affiliated with... Everything. Hey! Check this out."

"What is it?"

He handed the laptop over to her, leaning back into the plush couch cushions.

"There's a link that shows few mock ups of missing kids might look like today." Peyton said, breaking him from his thoughts. "And if you recognize the person, you can click on their childhood pic."

Thousands of children were featured, but one caught his eye immediately. He grabbed the computer back from Peyton, ignoring her surprised protest as he clicked on the photo.

 **Elena Grace Reynolds**

 **Missing Since: September 7th, 1993**

 **Missing From: Charlotte, NC**

 **DOB: March 4, 1989**

 **Age Now: 17**

 **Race: White**

 **Hair Color: Brown**

 **Eye Color: Hazel**

 **Height: 3'4**

 **Weight: 38 lbs**

Nathan's eyes widened.

It couldn't be.


	11. Chapter 11

_My name isn't Brooke!_

"My name isn't _Brooke_!" She repeated, letting out a bloodcurdling scream. "My name isn't Brooke!"

Her eyes flew open, she was back in her bedroom, her homework spread across her bed. She didn't remember ever falling asleep.

"Brooke?"

Lucas let the door fall shut behind him, and dropped down onto the bed. He raised an eye brow before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Did you have that dream again?"

Brooke let out a shaky laugh. "It was more like a nightmare, Luke."

He rubber her back, racking his brain for the right thing to say. He didn't want to admit that he and Nathan had been doing research about reoccurring dreams, and nightmare, but the two brothers had actually found out some pretty cool stuff.

Recurring dreams usually meant there was something in life you hadn't acknowledged, that was causing some sort of stress. The dream repeated because you hadn't corrected the problem. Another theory was that people who experienced recurring dreams had some sort of trauma in their past that they were trying to deal with.

Nightmares were dreams that were so distressing they usually woke you up. Nightmares could occur at any age, but were seen in children more frequently. They usually caused strong feelings of fear, sadness or anxiety. Their causes are varied, but traumatic events usually were the main cause of nightmares.

Brooke wound her arms around his torso, burying her face into his shoulder. "I just want it to stop, Luke!"

"I know." Lucas replied, tightening his grip. "Don't worry, B. I promise, you and I will figure this thing out. Okay?"

She nodded slowly.

Brooke wanted nothing more than to admit that it didn't feel like a dream, or a nightmare at all... It was more like a memory.

She had always hated thunder storms.

"It's okay." He muttered, pulling away to meet her eyes. "I'm sure it's nothing, B. But we will get to the bottom of it. I promise."

* * *

"Nathan."

 _Elena was last seen playing outside of her Charlotte, NC home on the evening of September 7_ _th_ _, 1993. She was last seen wearing a blue dress, white tights, and black boots._

"Nate?"

The little girl featured in the photo wore a polka doted dress. Her long hair pulled back into a high pony tail, and she was smiling.

"Nathan..."

It couldn't be. He had seen that photo a million times before, he'd know it anywhere. It wasn't possible, there was no way that that was...

"Nathan Royal Scott!"

Nathan whipped his head around to glare at the her for using his middle name. Quickly, he closed the laptop, throwing his free arm around her shoulder to lead her back to the front door.

"I can't do this right now, Peyton."

Peyton blinked, unsure of whether to be concerned, or annoyed at him for bailing on her. It had been _his_ idea to get such a head start on the project.

"I'm sorry, Peyt..." Nathan stuttered. "I just... I don't feel very good right now... Can you leave? Please?"

She nodded and slung her bag across her shoulder. "Maybe we can work on it over the weekend?"

"Un huh."

Nathan let the door fall shut behind her, waiting until he saw the Comet's headlights dance across the wall before he grabbed his keys.

 **B! Hey!**

Hey, Nate :) What's up?

 **Pretty sure I just saw you at the movie theater. I called your name, but you didn't answer :/**

Aww, Nathan! I totally would have answered if that had been me. I'm getting ice cream with your brother right now.

At least now he knew she wasn't home. It made his mission that much easier.

* * *

Brooke wasn't the most observant person in the world.

He was counting on that, praying that she wouldn't notice the missing picture until he had a chance to put it back.

"Nathan?"

He slowly lowered his hand. He had been about to knock, she must have seen him through the security system.

"Hi, Mrs. Davis." Nathan replied, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. "How are you?"

Victoria crossed her arms. "Brooke's not home at the moment. I think she's still out with your brother."

If there was one thing that Dan had taught his younger son, it was how to lie. Nathan Scott was a gifted liar, but that wasn't something he was proud of.

"I know." He drew out, glancing down at the ground. "I just... I was helping Brooke study the other day, and I left my book upstairs in her room. I have a test tomorrow... Do you think I could just run up and grab it?"

She let out a long sigh, a clear indicator that he was interrupting something pretty important, but moved aside so he could step in.

"Please, Nathan. Make it quick."

Nathan nodded, taking the steps two at a time. There it was, sitting on her bedside table.

She was about four in that photo, wearing a polka doted dress, with her long hair pulled back into a high pony tail. She was smiling, standing in some random front yard with her hands on her hips.

It was a match.

He suddenly felt faint, he dropped down onto her bed for a moment to catch his breath, all the while staring down at Elena's face.

 _Brooke's_ face.

 _Elena-Brooke-Elena-Brooke-Elena-Brooke_. This couldn't be happening. This was the type of bad movie on Lifetime that his friends loved to make fun of.

This wasn't real. This was just a horrible, horrible dream. Brooke Penelope Davis was _not_ missing four year old, Elena Grace Reynolds. There was no way.

Pictures never lied.


	12. Chapter 12

"Julian?"

"Brooke?" He slowed his pace so she should catch up. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"I live here?" Brooke retorted. She laughed as she fell into step beside him. "No. Luke and I were hanging out. He offered to drive me home, but I don't mind the walk. What about you?"

Julian shrugged. It had been his mother's idea, a way to get him out of the house. He had been wandering around for the last three hours. L.A. was big, a lot bigger compared to North Carolina, but Tree Hill had a very homey-feel that the 'City of Dreams' didn't.

Of course, the head cheerleader actually giving him the time of day didn't hurt either.

"I just wanted to get to know my new hometown." He said, after a minute. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be."

She nodded. A lot of her friends had plans to leave North Carolina after graduation, with dreams of bigger and better things, but Tree Hill was home to her, she never wanted to live anywhere else.

"I love it here."

Julian grinned down at her. He would have given anything to have what she had, the type of friendship that would last past graduation, the security of a future after high school, an actual place to call home. Brooke Davis was lucky.

"Hey." His hand around her arm, stopping her. "I never said thank you, for earlier, I mean. It meant a lot when you invited me to sit with you, and your friends. Most people don't want anything to do with the new guy... Especially the 'popular' crowd."

Brooke laughed again. Julian Baker was unlike any guy she'd ever met. To her, inviting him to eat lunch with her friends was nothing. To him, it was everything.

"You can eat with us, anytime." She said, pulling back slightly. "Seriously. My friends are your friends."

Her turn was coming up, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to leave him yet.

"Brooke?"

"Hmm?"

Julian almost seemed nervous. "Can I... Can I walk you home?"

"I was hoping you would say that." She replied with a smile, looping her arm through his. "C'mon."

* * *

"Nathan!"

Pissed off didn't even begin to describe how she was feeling.

Not even an hour after he'd practically shoved her out the door, she had received a text, sending her on a wild goose chase to try and find the address he'd asked her to meet him at.

 **Thirty minutes. 2341 Tattersalls Dr., Wilmington, apartment 11. Be there.**

Nathan. What the hell?

 **Meet me there, and I promise, I'll explain everything. Please, Curly.**

Maybe it was the use of her nickname in that last message. Maybe she just wanted to know what it was that had had him so freaked out earlier. Either way, she found herself sliding behind the wheel of her car, and blindly making her way twenty minutes across town until she reached the complex.

It was the only one they had agreed on.

"Nate!" She called again, pounding on the door. "Damn it, Nathan! What the hell is going on-"

A hand shot out, wrapping around her arm and yanking her inside before she could even finish her sentence. Nathan let the door fall shut behind them before he released her grip on her.

"What the hell?" Peyton demanded, glancing warily around the room. "Nathan..."

"I'm sorry." He muttered, holding his hands up in surrender. "I just... I'm sorry about earlier tonight, Peyt. I just needed to get you both here."

"Why?"

Normally, speaking in unison would have sent the girls into hysterics, but they remained silent. By the look on Nathan's face, they knew that something was wrong. There was no time for fun and games.

"I did something..." Nathan whispered, his head resting in his hands. "And I don't think I can take it back, you guys."

"Nathan." Haley's arms wound around his torso. "Please... Just tell us what's going on. You're starting to scare me."

He sighed loudly, tossing the picture frame at her. She caught it easily, staring down at it for a moment before raising an eye brow.

"Umm... A picture of Brooke?" Peyton asked hesitantly. "I don't get it."

Wordlessly, he grabbed his laptop, reloading the page. Haley and Peyton leaned in to get a better look.

 **Elena Grace Reynolds**

 **Missing Since: September 7th, 1993**

 **Missing From: Charlotte, NC**

 **DOB: March 4, 1989**

 **Age Now: 17**

 **Race: White**

 **Hair Color: Brown**

 **Eye Color: Hazel**

 **Height: 3'4**

 **Weight: 38 lbs**

A little girl, wearing a polka doted dress, her hair a high pony tail, standing in a random front yard, her hands on her hips.

"Oh my god."

Peyton suddenly felt faint. The frame slipped from her hands, she waited for the sound of breaking glass, but it didn't come.

Always graceful, Nathan had caught the frame, placing it on the counter before moving to rest his hands on his wife's shoulders. He held her up easily, one hand going to gently, but firmly lift her chin up so she was looking him in the eye.

"Hales." He muttered. "Hey... It's..."

Nathan wanted nothing more than to promise his girl that everything was going to be okay, that they'd get through this somehow.

He couldn't do it, because it wasn't going to be okay this time.

"Peyton?"

His gaze moved from Haley's face to her own, his eyes widening slight as he saw her stagger.

How could this be happening?

"Peyton!"

That was the last thing she heard before the darkness overtook her.

* * *

"Thanks for walking me home."

"My pleasure, Miss. Davis." He replied with a smile. "Wow... Nice house."

Brooke shrugged. Yeah, it was a beautiful house, but it deserved a _real_ family. That was one thing she'd always believed in.

"Seriously." She muttered, pulling her arm back. "Thank you, Julian. Felix never does-"

"Brooke?"

He was leaning up against her car, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Slowly, he started towards them.

Brooke shot him a wary look. "If you want to leave right now, I wouldn't blame you."

Julian nodded, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder before backing away slowly. He turned on his heel, ready to leave her standing there, but then thought better of it.

"Where the hell have you been?" Felix demanded. "I've been waiting for you for twenty god damn minutes. What the hell, Brooke?"

"I was hanging out with Lucas." She replied, shrugging. "We didn't have plans. Excuse me for trying to spend some time with my friends for once."

"Your friends?" He scoffed, kicking the ground. "Please, Brooke, you spend more time with them in a day than you do with me in a week."

Brooke opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn't think of a comeback worthy enough for their current argument. Felix was the problem, he was always the problem. None of her friends wanted to be around her when she was with him.

Felix seemed to notice Julian for the first time.

"What the hell is this dork doing here?" He hissed. "Didn't I tell you to stay the hell away from my girl, freak?"

He pulled on her arm, trying to move her to stand behind him. Brooke didn't budge, it only made him yank harder.

"Let her go, man..."

Felix began to laugh, loudly. "Geez, babe. The nerd is defending you now? How bout you tell him to get lost, and we go back to my place. Sound good?"

"I've got a better idea." Brooke snapped, pulling away from him. "How about _you_ get lost, and my new friend Julian can walk me to the door."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing.


	13. Chapter 13

"Peyton?" She whispered, her voice cracking. "Hey, Curly. Can you hear me?"

Her eye lids fluttered. She could feel Haley's hand wrapped around her own, every few seconds she would give it a reassuring squeeze.

Slowly, Peyton opened her eyes.

They were still in Nathan and Haley's future apartment, she was lying on the carpet, her head cradled in the red head's lap. He visibly relaxed when he saw her sit up.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry..."

Nathan raised an eye brow, almost looking amused despite the situation. "What, you're apologizing for fainting, Peyt?"

Haley glanced warily at the photo of Brooke sitting on the counter. She'd always teased her long-time friend about the photograph, asking if her dress could have gotten any poofier.

Did the picture really belong to someone else? Did _Brooke_ really belong to someone else? It didn't seem real.

"Tell me this isn't happening." She whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. "What are we gonna do, Nathan?"

Peyton met Nathan's gaze. She was wondering the same thing. Were she supposed to just waltz up to her best friend, and announce that her whole life had been a lie?

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Peyton demanded, standing too quickly. She staggered, and they both reached out to steady her. "What do you mean: _nothing!_ We can't just do _nothing_! We have to-"

"Take it easy, Peyton!" He snapped, his arm locking around her waist. "You just fainted! For god's sake, don't get so excited."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did he really expect them to just keep their mouths shut? This secret was too big to keep from anyone, let alone Brooke!

"Nathan." Haley shook her head. "You can't just ask us to-"

"I can." Nathan replied bitterly. "And I will. I'm not _asking_ you to do anything, Hales, I'm telling you, both of you, to keep your mouths shut. You can't tell anyone, not even Lucas. If this gets out, we could lose Brooke forever, and I'm not about to let that happen."

* * *

"Are you serious?" He demanded, crossing his arms. "You'd really ditch me for this nerd, babe?"

"That _nerd_ has a name." Brooke hissed, glancing back at Julian. "And he's my friend."

Felix laughed bitterly. Was he really hearing her right? Instead of a night of epic romance and passion, she was choosing to spend her time on the less fortunate.

"Whatever." He spat, shooting Julian a hard look. "Come find me when you get bored of your newest charity case. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Don't bother."

Felix spun back around, his eyes narrowing. "What was that?"

"Don't bother." Brooke repeated slowly. "You know what's really sad? You're too stupid to realize just how much of a dick you are. You've really made this a no-brainer. We're done."

"Brooke..."

"We're done!" She snapped, turning away from him. "So get the hell away from me."

He didn't hesitate in walking away, not that she was surprised.

"Brooke?"

"Hmm?"

He took a hesitant step towards her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Brooke promised, turning to smile at him. She meant it.

Julian grinned back at her, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. She surprised him, wrapping her hand around his own.

"So." She muttered. "Walk me to the door?"

He nodded, keeping hold of her hand as he led her up the long driveway. They walked in silence, but there was no awkwardness in the air.

"I meant what I said." Brooke said. "My friends are you friends, Julian. Don't be a stranger."

She was full of surprises that day. Hesitantly, she leaned in to peck him on the cheek before throwing her arms around his neck. Maybe she had done it to get back at Felix some way, maybe she had just wanted to do it.

Either way, he wasn't complaining.

"Good night, Julian." Brooke muttered. "Thanks for walking me home."

* * *

There was a knock at the door.

"Who's that?" Peyton asked, moving to stand up. A pair of gentle, but firm hands moved her to sit back down.

"Lucas."

"What?" The two girls demanded together. Once again, there was no laughter, only fear.

Brooke's picture had disappeared from the counter.

"Please." Nathan whispered, his hand wrapping around the door knob. "You guys can't tell him. You _know_ Lucas just as well as I do. He's always trying to play hero."

Whether is was running back into the school during a shooting, or going after psychos pretending to be Peyton's half-brother, or laying out some punk that had dared to utter something disrespectful to one of the girls, Lucas Scott had always come out on top.

He loved his brother, he really did, but he couldn't let him play hero this time. There was too much at stake, too much to lose.

"Peyton!"

The door swung open, and he was at her side instantly, his hand resting carelessly on her knee.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked, his free hand moving to push a stray curl out of her face. "Nate called me, said you fainted. What happened?"

Peyton could feel Nathan's eyes burning holes into her back. She sighed, leaning against him heavily as he helped her stand.

"I just got dizzy." She lied, staring down at the ground. "I guess I forgot to eat.. I'm fine, Luke."

"Can you drive her home?"

Peyton glared at him, but he ignored her, turning back to his brother. "Luke. Can you take her? She shouldn't drive in her condition. I'll follow you."

Lucas nodded, holding a hand out for her keys. Wordlessly, she pressed them into his palm and turned to glare at the younger Scott brother again. Peyton let out a groan as she felt her feet leave the ground. Of _course_ he wasn't about to let her walk.

Haley glanced around the room. She was thankful that Lucas had been too preoccupied with Peyton to notice the tears in her eyes.

She wasn't sure if she could keep this secret for long.


	14. Chapter 14

" _Vex_." Haley muttered, staring up at the ceiling. " _Cat Power_... _Cheap Trick_. You're all over the place."

Peyton glanced over at her and snorted. Tric was only a week away from having it's first open mic night, after the one at _Karen's Cafe_ had been so successful. Once again, Haley had enlisted her blonde friend's help with the artwork for the poster. It was a distraction, one they both needed since they'd been avoiding Brooke for the last three days.

It wasn't easy.

"I have a lot of moods." She replied with a laugh, holding her sketch pad out. "Alright, finished."

Haley rolled off of Peyton's double bed, reaching out to take it. Peyton truly was a life saver. "Oh this is great! Thank you!"

"No problem."

The phone rang, both girls glanced at it with weary eyes. They could only guess who was calling.

 _Hello! Best friend! Pick up the phone! Don't pretend you're not there, cause I can see you on your cry for help webcam._

She raised an eye brow. After the whole 'Psycho Derek/Ian' attacks, Peyton had turned the camera off, indefinitely. "Webcam?"

"It's..."

 _Hi to you too, Tutor Girl!_

Haley forced a smile, waving in the direction of the camera. It was killing her, lying to Brooke, but she'd made Nathan a promise.

He was right, if _anyone_ found out, they stood the chance of losing the girl they loved, the girl who had single-handedly held their group of friends together for the last twelve years.

"Hold on..." Peyton muttered, reaching out to grab her cordless phone. "Hello? Look, I'm busy... I promised I would do something. Okay. Yeah I'll call you tonight. Love you, B. Bye."

It was killing _both_ of them.

She hung up, turning to face her red haired best friend. "Do you need help with those?"

"Yeah." Haley muttered, grabbing her hand. She pulled her out of the room. "Yeah, I do. Come on."

* * *

"Hales."

She jumped as his hand brushed across the small of her back. Lucas chuckled awkwardly, holding both hands up in surrender.

"Sorry." He muttered. "I didn't mean to scare you. What are you doing?"

Haley thrust a flyer at him, turning away to staple another one to the light post. She had also been avoiding Lucas, something she was pretty sure Peyton was doing as well.

"Hales."

His hand locked around her wrist, turning her back around to face him. He was met with no eye contact, and an unreadable expression.

"It's 'Open Mic Night' at Tric next week." Haley told him. "You should come. Peyton's coming."

Peyton.

Both girls had been avoiding him, and he didn't think it was a coincidence. His blonde, curly haired friend had promised him that she was fine, that there was nothing going on, she was just busy.

He always knew when she was lying to him.

"Hales." Lucas said again. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Luke."

He hated hearing that answer from Peyton, he hated hearing it from Haley.

"Haley-"

"Haley?"

Peyton appeared from around the corner, her expression unreadable as she neared them.

"Hey, Curly." Lucas greeted, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "Fancy meeting you here. You guys need any help? I was hoping we could talk. _All_ of us."

"Actually, Luke..." She muttered, her hand wrapping around Haley's. "We're um... We're late... For a thing? But I'll call you later, alright?"

He opened his mouth to protest. He finally had both of the girls together, for the first time in days, they weren't going anywhere.

Peyton leaned in, swiftly pecking him on the cheek before tightening her grip on Haley's hand, pulling her away. Lucas stood there, dumbfounded.

She could only pray the kiss was enough to distract them until they could get away.

* * *

"Nathan?"

She glanced around the room. His stuff was spread across the bed, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Nathan!"

"What?"

He took the stairs two at a time. He was shirtless, his hair wet from his shower. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leaning in to kiss her forehead when he finally neared her.

"Hey baby." Nathan muttered, turning her to face him. "What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?"

Maybe because she wasn't good at keeping quiet? Because she knew a secret that could destroy everything? Maybe because he was forcing her to keep a secret from two people she deeply cared about?

"I don't know if I can do this anymore." She whispered, tears brimming her eyes. "I mean, Luke just tried to corner Peyton and I. He knows that we're hiding something, Nathan. I don't know if I can keep this a secret for much longer. Eventually, one of us is gonna crack, and Peyton isn't good under pressure."

"Hales."

His hands gripped her shoulders, squeezing slightly. Slowly, he turned her to face him, only to pull her into a tight hug.

"You know what'll happen if you tell someone." Nathan said. "We can't risk it, Hales. I mean it, don't tell _anyone_."

"Nathan-"

"No. Haley." He snapped, his grip tightening. "I mean it, we can't tell anyone. She belongs here, with us. Her life is _here_ in Tree Hill. If anybody else figures that Brooke's picture is featured on a Missing Kid's website, then the police are gonna yank her away from her life, _and_ her friends. I'm trying to look out for her, Hales. So please, just let me protect her. Please."

Nathan was trying to protect her, she realized, no matter how messed up the situation seemed. Brooke was everything to them.

They couldn't lose her.


	15. Chapter 15

"Hey."

"Hey." Haley muttered, moving away from the door so she could slip inside. "Thanks for coming over. I just... I needed someone to talk to."

"So did I." Peyton replied, squeezing her arm. "I... I don't know how much longer I can do this, Haley. It's tearing me up inside to keep this from Brooke."

She nodded. It was hard to keep a secret from someone they usually told everything to. Brooke was beginning to notice the girls strange behavior, it was only a matter of time before she became curious, and would take it upon herself to find an explanation.

"I can't stop thinking about it." She said, letting the door fall shut behind her. "How could Brooke be this totally other person?"

 _Elena Grace Reynolds._ Peyton couldn't get the name out of her head. Her best friend didn't even _look_ like an _Elena_ , she looked like a Brooke! She was Brooke Davis, head cheerleader, Student Body President, best friend, and so much more. She couldn't be Elena Reynolds.

It didn't make any sense.

"Peyton?"

"Hmm?"

"You're spacing out on me." Haley waved her hand in front of her friend's face. "You're not gonna faint on me again... Are you?"

She cracked a smile. "No, Hales. I promise. I was thinking... Maybe we should do a little more research on El-that missing little girl. I brought my laptop."

"And I have access to Nathan's."

Peyton glanced around the room, her eyes narrowing. "Luke isn't here... Is he?"

 _Lucas!_

She had completely forgotten that he was even home! Nathan was working the closing shift at 'Hot & Twisted' while Karen closed up at the cafe. It was just the two of them for the night, but she'd locked the bedroom door the second Nathan dropped her off at home. He'd tried knocking once or twice, but she had ignored him, instead trying to focus on the mountain of homework assigned to her. Finals sucked.

"He's in the shower." Haley said, pointing at the bathroom door. "We'll be okay as long as we lock the door."

Music blared behind the closed door. A CD she'd burned for him.

* * *

 _Elena was last seen playing outside of her Charlotte, NC home on the evening of September 7_ _th_ _, 1993. She was last seen wearing a blue dress, white tights, and black boots._

Peyton rubbed her eyes. They'd been at it for the last hour. Fourteen 'Missing Person's' sites later, she had yet to learn anything new about Elena Reynolds.

"Hey..." Haley muttered, nodding at the screen. "Check this out, Curly. I think I found something."

She leaned in closer to get a better look.

 _Two days prior to her disappearance, Elena's sister, Isabella, told police that a woman wearing a wig, and dark sunglasses approached the two girls, and offered to play with them. A day after her disappearance, Elena's mother noticed that a photo of Elena was missing from the house. A copy of the photo is displayed above._

A little girl, wearing a polka doted dress, her hair a high pony tail, standing in a random front yard, her hands on her hips.

"Now we know where she got the picture from." Peyton said. "The only pictures Brooke has from her childhood are from age five, and up."

The tutor shook her head. "There's got to be more too it than that, Peyton. Victoria Davis does not seem like the type of person who would kidnap a child."

Victoria Davis didn't seem like the type of person who would even _want_ a child.

"I need a drink."

She snorted when Haley shot her a hard look.

"Of _water_ , Hales." Peyton clarified rolling her eyes. "God, you dork! We're not at a party, and Karen would kill me. I'll be right back, keep looking."

 _Dianna Reynolds told police that the unidentified woman seen speaking to Elena just days before her disappearance had been seen around the Reynolds's Charlotte, NC neighborhood on multiple occasions. Several times, she approached the mother of four, and offered to babysit the children. Dianna always refused, but the woman remained persistent. Dianna Reynolds told police that the woman seemed to be fixated on Elena, often asking to take a picture of the girl..._

Haley shook her head, slamming the laptop shut. She couldn't read anymore. Knowing anything about Elena Reynolds made it that much harder to keep the secret.

* * *

"Hey, Blondie." He muttered, his tone filled with a mixture of concern and annoyance. "I didn't hear you come in."

Peyton froze, slowly turning to face him. She knew him well enough to know how much he loved long showers, she'd been counting on that to get in and out of the house unnoticed.

Lucas leaned back against the counter, watching her carefully. His arms were crossed, his eyes full of suspicion. She'd been avoiding him for five days now, and he'd had enough.

"Hales invited me." She replied nonchalantly. "We were having a little girl talk, which I should probably get back to... I'll see you tomorrow, Luke."

His fingers locked around her wrist, spinning her back around before she could make it an inch past him. With a gentle, but firm hand, he forced her chin upward.

She refused to look him in the eye.

"What is going on with you, Peyton?" Lucas demanded. "You've barely said two words to me all week. What's going on? Is there something I should know?"

 _Yes._

"No." Peyton was lying through her teeth. "Everything's great, Lucas. I really do need to get back to Haley, though-"

He rolled his eyes, slipping his arm around her waist and towing her back towards his room. He grip was too strong for her to break free.

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

He pulled her into his bedroom, letting the door fall shut behind him. Glancing around the room, Peyton realized that she had a 50/50 shot of escaping. She could make a run for the front door, but her keys were still in the basement with Haley.

Lucas would just corner her again.

"Peyton." He begged, catching hold of her hands. "Please, just talk to me. I'm your friend, I love you, I have always been there for you. You gotta tell me what's going on, Curly."

It was true, more than anyone, Lucas Scott had _always_ been there for Peyton Sawyer. He was always saving her.

But she'd made a promise to Nathan, one she wasn't entirely sure she could keep.

"Okay, Luke..." Peyton muttered, letting out a defeated sigh. "I'll tell you everything. But you've got to promise..."

* * *

"Peyton..." He drew out, shaking his head. "I don't... Why didn't you tell me?"

He sat in his desk chair, his head in his hands. She was curled up on his freshly made bed, wrinkling the sheets, but he didn't dare tell her to move. It was something she had done a million times before.

How could she have kept this from him for so long?

"I'm sorry, Luke." Peyton whispered, tears brimming her eyes. "I just... This could have ruined everything for her."

Lucas stood up, breaking the distance between them in three long strides. He dropped down beside her, reaching out to wrap his arms around her in an unbreakable hold. She shifted so her head was cradled against his shoulder, her arms winding around his torso.

"I'm gonna kill him."

Her eyes widened. "Luke. No! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone."

His hand were balled up into fists against her back. Yeah, he had promised that, but he'd also promised to always protect her, and that was a promise he intended to keep. He had never liked Felix, ever since the wannabee had almost run him down in the school's parking lot. And the way he treated Brooke...

He should have gotten his ass kicked a long time ago.

Writing the word _Dyke_ on Peyton's locker was just the icing on the cake. Felix Tagarro was a dead man.

"Luke." Peyton muttered, her grip tightening. "Please. You promised me. You've wanted to know what was going on for so long... Well, now you know. You promised me. Please, just leave it alone."

Peyton had _finally_ opened up to him. After weeks of trying, she had finally told him the truth, he couldn't risk losing that just for a chance to beat the prick up.

"Okay." Lucas said, rolling his eyes. "But Peyton, you really gotta tell Brooke. She would dump him on the spot if she knew!"

Yet another reason to tell Brooke the truth.

"I can't." Peyton mumbled, trying to pull away from him. He refused to let her go. "Luke, she has been so happy lately... I can't take that away from her."

Now she was keeping two secrets from her best friend, and it was killing her. But if Brooke learned the truth, about anything, she stood the chance of losing everything.


	16. Chapter 16

"You're sitting in my chair."

She glanced up at him, her cheeks burning. _Karen's Cafe_ was her usual hangout on a Sunday afternoon, and she would have been lying if she said that she hadn't noticed him at that very table several times before.

"Oh..." Brooke muttered, quickly standing up. "I'm sorry. I thought you..."

Julian cracked a smile, gently easing her back down into the chair with one hand. "No, no. Just a poorly timed joke."

He dropped down beside her, letting his arm drape lazily across the back of her chair. They sat in silence for a few moments, both trying to think of something, anything to say.

"You're here early."

Julian let out a laugh. When she'd sent him that text, asking him if he wanted to hang out with her, he'd nearly had a heart attack. His old high school had been full of beautiful, popular people, but he had never been one of them. He was the Mathlete, something he thought would haunt him forever, but the most beautiful girl in the world was actually giving him the time of day.

Maybe there was some hope for him after all.

* * *

"You okay, Brooke?"

He'd let her pick the movie, something he had never done before. It was a romantic comedy, with A-list celebrities, and a semi-decent plot. It wasn't his favorite, but she'd wanted to see it, and he wanted to make her happy.

"You know what I like best about the movie?" Brooke said suddenly.

"What's that?"

She let out a long sigh. There was a far away look in her eyes. "You get the sense that they're all gonna live happily ever after."

"Hmm..." Julian mused. He hadn't been able to see it then, but he could see it now. "They are... What are you really thinking about?"

Brooke blinked. They'd been friends for a week, tops, and he already knew when she was lying? Julian Baker was _good_.

"I was thinking about my friends." She admitted. "Peyton and I use to build snow forts. And we;d sit inside, and worry about what our worlds were gonna be like. It's like we'd hide from it all... But I think if we could have seen what our lives were gonna be, we wouldn't have believed it... How lucky we'd be... How lucky we _are_. All of us."

Julian raised an eye brow. When he'd first moved to Tree Hill, he had seen the two girls together _constantly_. Now, Peyton was barely giving her time of day.

"Are you and Peyton okay?" He asked.

Brooke shrugged. Peyton _and_ Haley had been giving her the cold shoulder lately, she just couldn't understand what she had done to make them so angry at her, which was why it was so nice to have Julian to hang out with.

But she missed her girls, more than anything.

"You know..." She began. "Peyton and I have always put our friendship first, before any guy, but ever since I started dating Felix... I don't know, she's been acting really weird around him. Maybe now that we're taking a break, she'll lighten up."

"So..." Julian drew out, offering her his arm. "How are things going in 'Newly Single' land?"

Brooke rolled her eyes. She was still furious at Felix, but at the same time, she felt so conflicted. He was her _boyfriend_ for crying out loud! Shouldn't she have missed having him around? Just a little?

"You're not missing much." She mumbled. "Sometimes our relationship seems so simple and easy, but no matter what, it just turns into a big mess. And there are days that I want to dive into that mess, but then, other days, I can't help but wonder if maybe we're just two people who don't work as a couple."

"But you love him, right?" Julian asked through clenched teeth. The jealously was consuming him, and he hated that feeling.

"I don't know..." Brooke admitted, shrugging innocently.

Was she in love with Felix? Did she even love him at all?

"Don't wait to find out." He said with a sigh. "Life's too short to play games. If you love somebody, and you want to be with them, then go get them. Deal with the mess later. We don't know what tomorrow will bring."

She nodded slowly. Felix had made her happier than she had ever been in the last few months, but being around Julian...

He made her feel complete, like she had been missing out on the type of love than Nathan and Haley shared. It was so confusing, she couldn't think straight.

As much as she wanted to deny it, she was falling for him.

* * *

It had been the day from hell at work, he was just glad to finally be free. He let himself in, dropping his keys on the table.

The light was suddenly on, blinding him.

"Damn it, Luke!" He snapped, whipping around to face his brother. "You scared me, man! What are you doing up so late?"

"Waiting for you." Lucas replied, crossing his arms. "So, Peyton came over tonight, she told me everything, Nate. Did you know about this?"

Nathan's jaw tightened. She _told_ him? She'd promised! Did she even realize just how severe the consequences would be when their secret came out?

"Know about what?"

Playing dumb was the best option.

"It was _Felix_." He hissed. "Felix wrote the word _Dyke_ on her locker! He's lucky I haven't murdered him yet."

The younger Scott brother visibly relaxed. The secret was safe, thanks to his curly haired friend. He knew he could always count on her...

"What?"

His brain had finally processed his brother's words. Felix? Brooke's Felix? He was the hateful scumbag that had written such a derogatory term on Peyton's locker? He was a dead man!

"She told you that?" Nathan demanded. "I'm gonna kill him."

Lucas shook his head. "I promised her I wouldn't do anything, Nate."

He scoffed. No one messed with one of the girls on his watch. He was just as protective of Brooke and Peyton as he was of Haley.

"Maybe you did." He muttered, grabbing his car keys. "But I didn't. Are you coming with me? Or not?"

"Nate."

Lucas's hand landed heavily on his shoulder. It was the type of dominance that only older brothers could possess, and despite there only being three months between them, Nathan looked up to him.

"The only thing we can do is to persuade her to tell Brooke." He muttered. "And when she does, Felix will be out of our lives for good."


	17. Chapter 17

"Peyton, it's me..." Brooke muttered, her phone pressed to her ear. "Will you call me back? I'm worried about you, okay? I broke up with Felix... Just call me... Please."

He rapped his knuckles against the wood of the door before sticking his head in. "She'll be okay."

She gave him the once over. He hadn't tried to contact her in three days, and she was more than okay with that. "You can go."

Felix frowned, lingering in the doorway. "Do I have to?"

Brooke sighed. This was what he did when he wanted her back. He wouldn't leave until she promised him that they were going to be okay, that they would go back to normal.

She didn't _want_ to be normal anymore, normal sucked with them!

"Felix."

"Brooke."

"Come on."

"Can I just say what I tried to say at the Formal?" He asked, wincing at the memory. It was the first time they had really broken up.

 _I am_ _not_ _gonna let you in! You don't get to have me; not my body and sure as hell not my heart!_

Brooke dropped down onto her bed. "I really wish you-"

He held up a hand to cut her off, sitting down beside her on the mattress. "I wanna be with you."

"...Wouldn't."

"I know I haven't been treating you right. I miss the way you use to look at me, Brooke, it felt so good to be looked at like that again. Like you saw the real me... And you liked what you saw."

Brooke opened her mouth to protest. "You can't do this to me..."

"I can't _not_ do it." Felix replied. "Because I'm tired of hiding my feelings from you... Brooke, talk to me. Just... Tell me how you feel. I know it's scary, but just tell me if you can show me your heart. Because if you do, I'll guard it with my life... Just say okay."

"Okay..." She whispered, tears brimming her eyes.

She didn't want to give into him, but there was something about him that kept her coming back. She just couldn't turn him down.

* * *

She should have known that Lucas would tell Nathan. She should have been expecting both of the Scott brothers to corner her, just to give her a lecture on the importance of telling Brooke the truth.

They'd finally worn her down.

"Hey." She greeted lamely, waltzing into her bedroom without knocking. She'd done it a million times before.

Brooke sat up, her face flushed. As much as she loved her best friend, as much as she wanted Peyton to open up to her again, she had been hoping for a call back first before a face-to-face conversation. "Hey! Um... I was gonna call you… In a while."

Peyton shrugged, dropping down onto the bed beside her. "Um... I'm sorry to just drop by. I just need somebody to talk to."

"Stop!"

"I just..." She couldn't hold her tears back anymore. "I need you, Brooke! I just... There's so much stuff piling up and I don't think I can handle it anymore."

Her locker, Brooke's first identity, her growing feelings for Lucas, she missed being able to go to Brooke for everything. She couldn't live like that anymore.

"Hey." She whispered, her arms locking around her best friend's shoulders. "It's gonna be okay."

"I should be stronger than this, you know?" Peyton asked. "I should... I don't wanna be a person that needs help, but I... I feel all alone."

"You are not alone!" Brooke promised, her grip tightening. "Okay? You have me no, matter what."

They sat in silence for a few moments, simply enjoying one another's company. It was just like old times, leaning on each other for support. And for a moment, Peyton truly believed that everything was going to be okay.

"Brooke... You're my best friend."

Brooke raised an eye brow. "So?"

"No." Peyton muttered, shaking her head. She was ready to tell her. "I mean it. You're my best friend, you know that right?"

"Yeah, crazy." She teased, poking her ribs. "What drugs are you on and can I have some?"

 _I broke up with Felix... Just call me... Please._

If Felix was truly out of the picture, then Peyton she could tell Brooke the truth. She wouldn't be hurting her best friend with the truth."

"I need to tell you something..."

She raised an eye brow, her eyes perking up as she waited for Peyton to speak again. Was she finally to get an explanation behind her friend's awkward behavior?

"Hey you know you can tell me anything." Brooke said, squeezing her shoulder. "What is it?

"It's just... There's something you should know..."

She would have been lying if she said that she wasn't worried about Peyton, or Haley for that matter. The rest of her friends were treating her like they always did, what was going on with her two favorites? They both seemed so jumpy lately, like they were in on some life and death secret.

"Peyton, what?"

"I'm so glad you're not seeing Felix anymore." Peyton admitted. "I missed you."

Brooke blushed, biting her bottom lip. "Um, yeah... I-"

She was cut off as her bathroom door swung open. Felix appeared, wearing jeans, and wiping his hair with a towel. He was shirtless.

It was then that she realized that her brunet best friend was only clothed in a robe.

"Oh..." He muttered, shooting her an awkward grin. "Hey..."

"Oh god... Um..."

"Want to hear a secret?" Brooke asked suddenly, clinging to her arm. "I know you do!"

"Brooke..."

She let out a long sigh. "I'm falling for him, big time! Speechless, right? I know! It's crazy, but this is like _L-O-V-E,_ mad, crushed out, I'm in big trouble."

"Brooke..." Peyton said again, shaking her head. She stood up, backing away. "I'm sorry to interrupt..."

Brooke's eyes widened as she tried to grab her hand. "No, Peyton... Don't go."

"It's cool." The blonde promised, practically running for the door. "I'll call you later."

"No!" She called out miserably, jumping to her feet. It was too late, Peyton was already out to her car. "Peyton..."


	18. Chapter 18

"It scared me for a minute, Hales." He said, his hand made circles across her back. "I really thought Peyton told Lucas the truth for a minute."

Karen had yet to come home. They were lying side by side across his bed, a tangled mess of arms and legs. Haley pressed her head up against his chest, listening to his heart beat. Nothing had ever made her feel safer.

"She did tell him the truth." She replied, her voice muffled. "Or at least, _a_ truth. I'm just glad she finally told one of you."

Nathan raised an eye brow. "Hales? How long have you known about this for?"

He felt her shrug. Just like with Lucas, she'd made a promise to keep Felix's ugly act a secret. She was getting tired of keeping secrets, the newest one was really taking its toll on her.

That was classing Peyton Sawyer though, sacrificing her own pain just to keep someone else happy.

"A couple of weeks." Haley admitted. "She just didn't want to ruin anything for Brooke. You know how she is."

He nodded, he couldn't deny that. Did he ever wish that she would open up to him more? Of course he did! They had been friends for over ten years, that had to mean something. Peyton Sawyer had never been an open book, and that bugged him.

"Hales." Nathan muttered. "I'm sorry that I asked you to keep this whole thing a secret... Maybe we _should_ tell Brooke... If we tell her, then she can decide what she wants to do with that information."

She tightened her grip on him.

"I'm scared, Nathan." She whispered. "If Brooke really is Elena Reynolds... Her family is going to want her back, and I'm not sure if Brooke can fight them on that, or not."

"Baby." He muttered, turning her to face him. He leaned down, pressing his lips to her hairline. "Everything's gonna be okay, I promise. You're right, she deserves to know the truth... I'm scared too."

There was no way to tell how Brooke would react to the news. Haley hid her face into the crook of his shoulder so he wouldn't see her cry. Nathan must have seen how much it was killing her to have to keep this secret from Brooke.

Friends didn't keep secrets, even if that secret could destroy everything.

* * *

 **Hey.**

Hey! :)

It was the first time he had heard from her in days. He'd waited for her to make the first move, because Brooke Davis was that type of person, but she hadn't called, so he gave in and texted her.

 **Haven't heard from you in a few days. I was about to send out a search team.**

Julian had given her a time limit to respond to his message. If she hadn't replied within two hours, he would have gone straight to her house to check on her. He couldn't help it, he was worried.

Hardy har har. You're _sooooo_ funny! I haven't been _that_ bad, have I?

 **It's been four days, Brooke.**

Why did he suddenly feel like an overly jealous boyfriend?

Geez! You're right! I'm sorry, Julian! I'm not MIA, I promise!

He'd gotten the answer he wanted. She was breathing, she was alive, she was fine.

She was avoiding him?

 **Good to know :p**

 **Hey! Since you're not missing in action, do you wanna hang out?**

Julian missed spending time with her. Brooke Davis was by far the coolest girl he'd ever met, he wanted to get to know her better.

Rain check? How about tomorrow! I'll drag Peyton and Luke out too.

There was something she wasn't telling him, and he could only guess. Once again, Felix had gotten his hooks into her, and they were busy, doing other things, to pay him any mind.

It'll be like a double date ;)

How could he say no to her?

 **It's a date :) See ya later, Davis!**

Bye, Baker Boy!

Julian smiled despite himself, shoving his phone back into his pocket. He was just about to start wandering around town again when he saw a familiar face. She was sitting alone, her head in her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Peyton?"


	19. Chapter 19

"Look out!" She screamed.

Her eyes flew open. Once again, she was in her bedroom, tangled up in her sheets. There was a note lying on her bedside table

 _You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you. Get some rest, babe. I'll call you later._

 _-Felix._

"Yeah." Brooke mumbled, pressing a hand to her beating heart. "Peaceful."

"Brooke?"

Victoria knocked timidly, not waiting for an answer before she marched into the room.

"You screamed." She said, glancing around her daughter's bedroom. "I was in the middle of a _very_ important phone call. Are you alright?"

Was she dreaming? Or was Victoria Davis actually acting semi-concerned about Brooke's well-being?

"No..." She admitted, shaking her head. "I... Mom... Do you remember that dream I use to have? When I was little, I mean."

Victoria nodded stiffly. She let the door fall shut behind her, moving across the room to drop down onto the bed.

"How could I forget." She muttered, rolling her eyes. "You use to wake us up at _all_ hours of the night. Thank god we paid the nanny overtime."

 _There_ was the mother she knew, and usually pretended to love. Victoria had always been too focused on making appearances to really even notice that she had a daughter.

"Mom."

"Brooke?"

"This isn't just a coincidence." Brooke said, pulling her covers back. "I've been having this dream for as long as I can remember, mom. A woman keeps calling me Brooke, even after I _told_ her that that wasn't my name! It's storming, and then, as soon as the car is about to crash, I wake up screaming. Please... I'm not a little girl anymore. Can you tell me if this means anything?"

Victoria let out a long sigh, as if she were debating something. She hesitated, before she reached out to rest a hand on her knee.

The gesture was almost motherly.

"Okay, Brooke." Victoria muttered. "I think you're old enough now to know the truth."

* * *

"Peyton." Julian muttered, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "Hey... Are you okay?"

When she shook her head, he moved to sit beside her. In a gesture that surprised them both, she pressed her face into his shoulder.

"I really screwed up." She whispered. "I've been keeping something from her, because I wanted to see her happy, but it's tearing me up inside. If she knew the truth, she would never look at him the same way again."

He could only guess who she was talking about.

"Brooke?" Julian asked, hesitantly wrapping his arm around her. "Peyton? What's going on? I know we just met, but you can talk to me... I promise, I won't say anything."

Peyton pulled back to meet his gaze. She had been avoiding Brooke, that was true, but even with their time apart, she'd noticed her best friend cozying up to the new boy.

Maybe she could trust him?

"A few months ago..." She began, reaching up to brush a few tears away with the back of her hand. "We had this formal. I came with Brooke, and when she was dancing with Mouth, Felix came up to me. We started arguing, and then I called him out on his whole 'friends with benefits' relationship with Brooke, told him it was crap. Brooke found out that he had lied to her about a few things, and she dumped him. His sister Anna kissed me, and then, suddenly, the word _Dyke_ was written on my locker."

Julian's eyes hardened. No one ever dared to use that word unless they wanted to be labeled a hateful scumbag.

"Peyton." He said, through clenched teeth. "Was it Felix?"

She nodded.

"Does Brooke know?"

She shook her head.

"Peyton." Julian said again, reaching out to squeeze her arm. "You can't keep something like this from her. You're a great friend for trying to keep her happy, but what Felix did is unforgivable. Trust me, Brooke is going to take your side, you just need to talk to her."

Had it really never occurred to her that Brooke would take her side? They had been best friends almost their entire lives.

Hoe's over Bro's, no matter what.

"C'mon." He muttered, holding a hand out to help her to her feet. "I'll give you a ride."

* * *

"Brooke?" She asked, standing hesitantly in the doorway. "What's wrong?"

Brooke tried to manage a smile through her tears. A jar of nail polish was in her hand, she was always primping when something was wrong. "I just keep screwing up this toe."

"Brooke."

Peyton moved across the room to sit beside her on the bed. She'd come over with the intention of telling her the truth about Felix, but Brooke was so upset, it could wait.

"You know how I've been having that reoccurring dream, more and more lately?" Brooke said, giving up on painting her toenails. She could always redo it later. "There's actually a story behind it."

"What happened?"

"My dad had a sister." She muttered. "They were estranged, she'd disgraced her family when she refused to marry the 'right' guy. She showed up at their house one night, with a little girl, and introduced her as her daughter... Brooke Penelope Davis."

Peyton's eyes widened. There was so much more to the story than even Nathan realized.

Brooke sniffled, reaching out to take Peyton's hand. "She came over asking for money, my dad turned her away. There was a really bad storm that night, and she crashed the car. They found me in the backseat, the sole survivor on the Highway to Hell."

"God Brooke." Peyton whispered, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah." She replied, letting out a bitter laugh. "Me too. The police called Ted and Victoria as next of kin... They didn't even _want_ kids! They thought it would better my dad's career if they took in a little girl with no other family to look after her... So here I am, I finally know the truth, but I wish I didn't."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, their arms around each other. Peyton couldn't tell her, not right then, when she already had so many other things going on in her life.

She would tell her eventually.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do." Peyton muttered. "We're gonna go out, we're gonna get some ice cream, and rent a couple of bad movies, and we're gonna hide out at my house until we wanna face the world again."

Brooke laughed, a small smile spreading across her face. "That sounds amazing... Peyton? I'm sorry... About the other night, I mean."

"Yeah..." Peyton drew out, forcing a smile. "Me too."


	20. Chapter 20

"Remind me." He muttered, glancing over at her. "Why did we agree to do this?"

They were parked in the Baker's driveway, waiting for Brooke to return with Julian so they could all go out and spend the day together.

"Because." Peyton replied, poking him in the ribs. "Brooke likes this guy, and so do I. He's awesome, Luke. Just give him a chance."

He would have jumped off a cliff if Peyton asked him to.

Ever since their heart to heart a few nights before, Peyton seemed to be acting more and more like her old self. It made him smile just to listen to her laugh freely, her smile back in place.

Lucas rolled his eyes. In one swift movement, he'd captured both of her wrist in one hand, using the other to probe her waist while she squealed, trying to free herself from his tight grasp.

"Okay." Brooke muttered, knocking on the window. "You two are totally adorable, but we still need to get into the backseat."

The two blondes burst out laughing. Peyton threw the door open, climbing out so Brooke could thrust the front seat forward.

Julian shot her a grin as he slid into the back.

After a pointed look from Brooke, and another jab to the ribs, courtesy of Peyton, he held his hand out towards the new guy.

"Hey, Julian."

"Hey, Lucas."

"Alright." Lucas said. He put the car into reverse, backing out of the driveway. "Where to first, girlie?"

"Umm, ice cream!" The two girls said together. Peyton shot Brooke a grin. "Duh!"

He chuckled. Whatever weirdness that had been going on between the two best friends had vanished.

It was as if everything was back to normal.

Lucas glanced in the review mirror. Julian and Brooke were laughing at something the brunet said. Julian had his arm thrown casually across the back of her seat.

He knew that that meant, he did it with Peyton all the time. That gesture, that simple gesture that meant: _I like you, as more than a friend._

* * *

"So..." Julian muttered, watching as the girls walked on ahead of them. "How long have you been friends with Brooke and Peyton?"

He shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. What had it been? Twelve years? It felt like forever.

"Since we were kids."

Lucas would have been lying if he said he wasn't a little wary of the new boy. He wanted Brooke to be happy, he really did, but it seemed like every time she liked a new guy, she always ended up getting her heart broken.

Of course, he'd never seen a guy look at Brooke the way Julian did.

Brooke's arm was thrown across Peyton's shoulders, their heads bent as they giggled about something he would never be able to understand.

"Are you and Peyton together?"

"Huh?"

He turned his attention back on Julian, smiling sadly when he finally realized the question that had just been asked.

"Nah, man." Lucas muttered. "We're just really good friends."

Julian nodded, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. He considered telling Lucas about his conversation with the blonde cheerleader the day before, but then decided against it. The basketball player might have murdered Felix on the spot, and he couldn't do that to Brooke.

Lucas turned to look back at the girls, but they were nowhere to be found. His eyes widened. Arms snaked around his neck as a new weight was added to his back. He began to laugh, his hands curling around the back of her knees as he went to steady her.

"Very funny, Sawyer." He said, glancing back at her. "How did you do that?"

"Magic." Peyton replied with a shrug. She leaned in, pressing her lips to his cheek. "I got tired of walking."

Julian felt a familiar arm slip through his as they watched the two blondes cross the street, Lucas still supporting her weight.

"He told you they're not together, right?" Brooke asked, a smile forming on her face.

He nodded.

"Don't believe either one of them." She said. "They're totally crazy about each other."

* * *

 _I_ _know_ _my daughter is still alive, and I'm going to find her, no matter what it takes._

 _-Dianna Reynolds_

She couldn't take it anymore.

The guilt was driving her insane. She couldn't lie to Brooke anymore, not when the secret was that big.

 _If you think you have seen a missing child, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 24-hours a day, 7 days a week._

 _1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)_

"Haley?"

She ignored him, feeling blindly around for her phone while she tried to memorize the number in case Nathan shut the laptop in a lame attempt to stop her.

She couldn't take it anymore.

"Haley!" He said again, his hand landing heavily on her shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?"

"The right thing." Haley replied, her eyes glued to the screen. "I'm doing what we should have done the second you and Peyton found that picture! You can hate me all you want, Nathan, but that family has a right to know that their daughter is alive!"

Nathan's eyes widened. He saw her phone, sitting on the dresser, and dove to get it before she could.

"I thought we were gonna tell Brooke first!" He muttered. "Baby, I love you, but think about what you're doing! They're gonna yank her away, Haley, from everything she has ever known, and from all of us! Do you _really_ want that to happen?"

"I'd rather have her hate me forever than let that poor family continue to believe that their daughter is still missing."

She went to grab her phone, he held it out of her reach.

"Just think about this for a minute." Nathan pleaded. "Think about the consequences, Hales. I want you to think about it!"

"I have!" Haley snapped, snatching the phone from his hand. "I'm sorry, Nathan, but this is something I have to do."

 _National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. How may I help you?_

"Hello?" She asked hesitantly. "Hi... I think I know where you can find Elena Reynolds.."


	21. Chapter 21

"Brooke Penelope Davis." Peyton drew out, pointing an accusing finger at her best friend.

Brooke held her hands up in surrender, raising an eye brow in confusion. What had she done this time?

"You like Julian!"

Lucas nodded in agreement. Even a blind person would have been able to detect the undeniable connection between the beauty, and the bookworm.

Brooke glanced around, grateful that Julian had excused himself to go to the bathroom. Her friends weren't subtle, he wasn't safe from their accusations.

"Can you say it a little louder, Blondie?" She retorted. "I don't think they can hear you, in China!"

They shared a look. It was something new, Brooke actually liked a semi-decent guy. They had no idea how to react.

"I might have feelings for him..."

"Then _tell_ him!" Peyton sighed dramatically, poking her waist. "Seriously, B! Just dump Felix, kick him to the curb!"

Lucas's eyes narrowed at the mention of his name. The last he'd heard, Brooke had dumped Felix in a not-so-nice way, and he couldn't have been more proud of her.

"Brooke..."

Brooke shot her best friend a mock-angry look. "Thanks a lot, P. Sawyer."

"Sorry..." She mumbled, her cheeks burning. "I just... Brooke, Felix is no good for you. I really like Julian, I think you two would be great together... Luke! Help me out here."

He reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "Peyton's right, Brooke. Julian is a good guy, I know he'd treat you right."

Because if he didn't, he'd have Nathan _and_ Lucas to answer to.

"I can't think about that right now." Brooke muttered, shaking her head. "I just need to deal with the right here, right now."

 _I know it's scary, but just tell me if you can show me your heart. Because if you do, I'll guard it with my life... Just say okay._

Felix was her _boyfriend_ , that had to mean something, right? She shouldn't have felt anything towards Julian.

But she did, she couldn't deny it anymore.

"Hey, guys." Julian greeted, dropping down into the chair beside her. "So. What did I miss?"

"Nothing!" Brooke blurted out, shooting her friends a warning look. She would kill them if one dared to utter a word.

"We were just talking about where to go next." Peyton offered, rolling her eyes. "Any ideas?"

The brunet stood up, sliding her purse over her shoulder. "Let's go to my house. We can just be lazy, and watch movies."

Lucas nodded, pushing away from the table before holding his hand out to Peyton. Once she was steady on her feet, he pulled his keys out of his pocket, drawing her closer to him with an arm around her waist.

Brooke and Julian showed a knowing look.

The blonde basketball player rolled his eyes, leading the way towards his car. He was always throwing his arm around her waist, or her shoulders, because he didn't want any other boy to hit on her.

She was his, whether he was ready to admit that, or not.

Lucas cursed under his breath as the shrieking sound of sirens filled the air. A dozen cop cars raced by, making him even more impatient. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel.

"Aww, poor little Lukey!" Peyton teased, poking his cheek.

"Don't call me that, Peyton."

"Lukey!"

"Peyton." He muttered, shaking his head. "I'm warning you."

She grinned. "Lukey!"

"That's it." Lucas eyed her warily, grabbing her around the waist to pull her onto his lap. It was almost too cramped in the front seat of his small car, but he wasn't about to let her go anytime soon.

"Umm... Guys?"

Peyton blushed when she realized that Brooke and Julian were still sitting in the backseat, their eyes full of amusement.

That was the thing about being around Lucas, the rest of the world just didn't exist.


	22. Chapter 22

"What movie do you guys wanna watch?"

"Hmm..." Brooke mused, a evil glint in her eye. "I vote we watch _The Titanic_ again."

Peyton held her hand up for a high five as she began to cackle madly. The girls looked amused, Lucas annoyed, and Julian confused.

"We're watching that movie over my dead body."

Brooke and Peyton burst out laughing.

"What's the matter, Luke?" Peyton asked. "It was cute the last time we watched it, and-"

His free hand slapped over her mouth before she could blurt out his dirty little secret.

"Brooke..."

Julian gave her an encouraging nod.

"Luke cried at the end of _Titanic_ last year." Brooke announced, ducking when he reached back to smack her knee.

Julian couldn't hold back his laughter. Lucas's cheeks burned as he neared the turnoff for Brooke's neighborhood.

"My allergies were acting up!" He defended, shooting the blonde a hard look. "You guys promised that story would never leave my living room!"

"Lucas..."

Lucas shook his head. "I've got about a million stories for that one, Sawyer. I just want you to keep that in mind."

"Luke."

"I could tell everyone that you killed Haley's hamster." He said, ignoring her. "I told you it was a bad idea to roll his little exercise ball down the stairs!"

"Lucas!"

"What?" Lucas demanded, slamming on the breaks. Peyton's sudden outburst had startled him. "Peyton, what? What's wrong?"

Slowly, her hands shaking, she pointed to the all too familiar white house. A dozen police cars were parked in the driveway, in the street, and on the lawn.

"Oh my god..."

"Brooke." Julian muttered, trying to wrap an arm around her. "Hey, just wait a second-"

She jumped over the front seat, shoving her best friend off to the side as she threw the door open.

"Brooke!" The three chorused together, scrambling out after her.

Lucas was faster, his arms locked around her waist before she could even reach the mailbox. He tossed her over his shoulder, ignoring the feeling of her fists pounding against his back repeatedly.

"Let me go, Luke!"

Julian and Peyton joined him, and for a moment, they stood there together, unsure of what to do.

"What the hell is going on?"

Peyton froze. It had to be a coincidence. No one else knew about... the _incident_ , other than herself, Nathan, and Haley.

Could it be?

"Peyton?" Lucas demanded, finally releasing his hold on Brooke. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Brooke's eyes narrowed. "Do you know something about this?"

It wasn't supposed to happen like this! The blonde closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wishing for nothing more than a time machine. She would have told her teacher that she didn't want to work with Nathan, or she would have asked for a different assignment.

You could never _unknow_ something.

"Peyton!"

Peyton opened her eyes. Lucas had his hands curled around her arms, he was the only thing keeping her steady.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, Brooke's gaze met her own. "I'm so sorry, B... I never meant for this to happen."

The front door burst open.

Brooke watched in horror as her mother and father were dragged out in handcuffs. An officer began to approach them.

"Brooke Davis?" He asked hesitantly.

She could only nod.

"I've got her." The officer muttered into his radio. He turned his attention back to the group of teenagers. "Sweetheart, I know you're scared, but I promise, we're going to explain everything in just a few minutes. Please, just wait here."


	23. Chapter 23

"Lucas!"

Nathan had parked his car illegally in the middle of the street, but he could have cared less at that point. His gaze moved from Ted, and Victoria Davis sitting in the back of a squad car, to his group of friends. Lucas's arms were wrapped around Peyton, her arms wound around his torso, her face buried into the crook of his neck.

Julian had an arm slung across Brooke's shoulders, holding onto her for dear life. There were police officers, _everywhere_.

"Luke!" He jogged to catch up with the growing crowd. "What the hell is going on? What happened?"

Lucas shook his head, one hand moving to smooth down Peyton's curls. "I don't know, man."

Slowly, Haley threw open the door of his car, taking her own sweet time to meet her friends. One look at her, and Peyton knew.

"You did this?" She demanded, breaking free from his tight grasp. "You called them?! How could you?!"

"Peyton!"

Lucas grabbed her around the waist before she could lunge at his best friend. Her feet left the ground while the basketball player struggled to get a good grip on her.

"What the hell is going on?"

Nathan shoved his hands into his pockets, slowly turning to meet his long-time friend's gaze. This was worse than he had feared.

"The police are here, because you're not Brooke Davis." He began, his voice shaking. "I am _so_ sorry, B. I thought by not telling you, that I was protecting you somehow... I was wrong, this is _exactly_ what I was trying to avoid."

Brooke blinked rapidly. She was trying to process his words, but they weren't very easy to comprehend. She wasn't Brooke Davis?

Then who the hell was she?

"Nathan..."

"You were stolen from your front yard when you were four years old." Peyton whispered, all eyes were on her now. "Your father's sister... The woman you thought was your mother, was actually your kidnapper, Brooke..."

 _My name isn't Brooke!_

She staggered, and Julian reached out to steady her.

Slowly, Brooke looked from one friend to the other. The people she knew, loved, trusted. Tears streamed down Peyton's cheeks, Nathan's hands were shaking, Haley's eyes looked dead.

"You called the cops?"

Haley took a deep breath, before nodding. "Brooke, I know you're probably going to hate me, but I couldn't just let-"

"You could have just left it alone, Haley!" Brooke snapped. "You could have told me the truth, and then we could have buried it, like the Time Capsule! You didn't have to do _this!_ Oh my god...'

Lucas's jaw fell slightly. They knew about this? They had _all_ known about this? He felt angry, betrayed.

One look at Peyton's devastated face changed everything.

He grabbed her again, his arms locking around her waist in an unbreakable grip. She was surprised at the sudden contact, she was so sure that he wouldn't be able to forgive her for keeping such a big secret, but she wound her arms around his torso.

"I..."

Brooke didn't bother to brush the tears away. Julian moved towards her, holding his arms out. She walked into his embrace without hesitation, staining his shirt with her tears.

"This is all my fault."

Nathan's eyes widened the second the words left her mouth. It wasn't her fault, it was _his_! He had been the one to make the two girls promise to keep the secret. It was _his_ fault.

"Hales..."

Haley shook her head, slowly backing away. Before he could stop her, she'd taken off in a full-on sprint down the road.

"Haley!"

"Nate..."

His eyes met hers, and he winced.

"I want to know everything." Brooke whispered, her tone emotionless. "I _need_ to know every single thing you know."


	24. Chapter 24

"What's my real name?"

Nathan let out a shaky breath. "Elena... Elena Grace Reynolds."

The officers had quickly ushered the five teenagers into the Davis household to avoid the sea of reporters that were now camped out on the front lawn. The detective assigned to Elena's... _Brooke's_ case wanted a statement from both Nathan and Peyton.

They sat together in the living room. Lucas took over the love seat, Peyton on his lap. Nathan and Julian sat on the leather couch against the far wall, while Brooke perched on the arm rest of her father's favorite chair.

"I just..." She shook her head. "I don't understand... What made you guys think that you couldn't tell me the truth?"

"We were afraid of losing you." Peyton whispered. A tear slid down her cheek.

"It's a little too late for that now, isn't it?" Julian snapped. He earned a warning from both Scott brothers, but he didn't care at that moment. "You wanted to avoid this? You should have known that keeping a secret like that would have led to this!"

"Julian!" Brooke snapped, her protective best friend instincts taking over. "Leave her alone! That's my best friend, and she has always been there for me!"

Even in the worst of situations, Peyton still had her back, and she would never forget that.

"I..." She mumbled, standing up. "I'm sorry, guys... I just... I need to be alone right now."

Brooke left the room.

"Peyton."

She turned to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry." Julian muttered. "I shouldn't have snapped at you... I didn't mean it."

"It's okay." Peyton promised, managing a small, watery smile. "Don't apologize, Julian, I deserved it."

"Peyton."

She shook her head. "It's true, Lucas, I kept a secret from the person who matters most to me in the world. I haven't been a good friend to her... Or to you... I'm sorry, Luke, I should have told you, I just-"

Lucas covered her mouth with his hand.

"Peyton." He said again, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I know who you are, you never have to say you're sorry."

* * *

During their sweep, the police officers had taken almost every available photo of her from the house. Candid shots of her, laughing with her friends, professional shots, every single one of her photo albums, they were all gone, her room looked bare without them.

The story Victoria had fed her, about the car accident hadn't made any sense to her, but this one? The possibility of her being a missing child made even less sense.

How could she have been kidnapped? How could she have another family out there, one that she knew nothing about?

"Hey..." Julian entered her room, glancing around hesitantly before moving to sit beside her. "Are you okay?"

"No." She whispered, a sob broke out. "But worse than that, _we're_ not okay _._ Ironically, the very few people that I never want to lose, are the ones who could very well get me sent back to Charlotte."

"Brooke..."

She shied away from his touch.

"How are you doing?" He asked, pulling his hand back.

Brooke shot him an annoyed look. How did he _think_ she was doing? Would he really have been okay if he was in her shoes?

"Not so good." She replied bitterly.

Julian sighed. He wasn't sure why he'd asked the question in the first place, maybe because he couldn't think of anything else to say. "Yeah... I know."

"I don't think you do."

"No." He sighed again, looking down at the ground. "I suppose I don't, but I want you to know something. Your friends love you, Brooke, and in their own way, they really were trying to protect you."

Deep down, she knew that, and she loved them for it, she would always love them, it just sucked to be lied to.

She looked around her room again. Never had it looked so empty. The photographs, memories of the good times, were what had always made that house feel like home.

"Everything's gone..."

"I'm not."

This time, she allowed him to wrap his arms around her, and hold her while she cried.


	25. Final

She had seen enough CIA, and Law and Order to know what a DNA test was, she just thought that it would have taken longer than fifteen seconds for an officer to swipe the inside of her mouth with a Q-tip while she sat cross legged on the desk.

Her friends were waiting for her out in the lobby, where she's asked them to stay until she was ready to leave.

"Just a few more minutes, Miss."

Brooke nodded, managing to give the nurse a half smile before turning her attention back to the TV.

 _Has Elena Reynolds been found?_

 _Steve and Dianna Reynolds eagerly await DNA test._

 _Two friends of the seventeen year old stumbled across a photo of the missing girl by mistake while working on a school project..._

Angrily, she shut the TV off. No reporter had ever given a damn about her before, so why now? Because she was supposedly a little girl, kidnapped from her home in Charlotte, NC., way back in 1994?

What a _great_ story.

Even if she was Elena Reynolds, she was still Brooke Penelope Davis. She knew how to be Brooke Davis, she was _good_ at being Brooke Davis.

Nothing could ever change that.

"Miss. Davis?"

The detective assigned to her case appeared, a folder in his hands. Dropping down into a nearby chair, he slid the manila envelope across the table to her. Inside was a very familiar picture, one she would have known anywhere.

The picture that had sat on her bedside table for the last thirteen years.

"We got the results back." He muttered, refusing to look her in the eye. "According to the DNA test..."

She knew before he could even say the words out loud.

"There is a greater than 99.17382% chance that you are the biological offspring of Steve, and Dianna Reynolds."

99.17382%?

No doubt at all.

* * *

 **This is the last chapter of 'The Girl In The Mirror', friends, but have no fear! A sequal in the works.**

 _ **Splintered Names,**_ **coming soon :)**


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